Adrift
by squeekness
Summary: The Xmen's ride home didn't exactly go as planned. Part four of my Kimble series.
1. Chapter 1

Summary : The X-men's ride home didn't exactly go as planned. Part four of my Kimble series. You will need to read the other parts before beginning this, see my profile for details.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I wrote this for a friend who didn't read the comics so there is a bit of back history and explanation on who everyone is and what their powers are. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

Still with me, kids? My hit counter tells me there are less of you than before, but I'll still carry on for a little bit. (I told you this thing was long!) Anyhoo, I dragged you through all that business with the Clan to get you here. This is one of my favorite pieces and I come back here often when I find my inspiration waning. Why? Heh, because here, everything changes... Please read and review, I love to hear from you!

**3-2-2011** ~ Just a quick note to say that I have just revised some of the material in this book since it was first posted years ago. I didn't change any of the events, I just wanted to clean up any spelling and grammar mistakes I could find and well, try to make the writing itself a bit better. I plan to do this with all of the stories I have posted but since I have such a huge collection of books, it will take me a long while. I apologize now for any inconsistencies you may encounter going forward, there will be a point where my revisions have left off and you'll probably notice it as you read along. Please forgive me. – Squeekness

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(One)

Kurt Wagner, a most peculiar young man, was warm in the May sunshine, planting flowers. It was an odd thing, to see a person who looked as he did doing such a pleasant and simple thing – Kurt was covered from head to toe with velvety indigo fur, a much shorter and darker version of Henry's own. Kurt liked to joke that he wasn't furry so much as 'plush', a phrase that only brought on a round of good natured teasing which he never minded all that much. He was demonic in appearance, having the pointy ears and sharp teeth, with a complimentary prehensile tail that came in handy in a tight spot. He also had three fingered hands, something that may have looked a bit odd, but actually increased his grip and flexibility. He had the uncanny ability to blend into the shadows and in dark places, was almost invisible. His striking outward appearance had earned him the Codename Nightcrawler.

Appearances aside, his primary mutation was the ability to teleport. Now that was a handy thing, the ability to transport not only himself across short distances, but others as well. He could be counted on to get his teammates in and out of a tight spot. He had trained long and hard to hone his craft and he was a valuable asset to the team.

Kurt's physical appearance may have been flashy and strange, but his clothing wasn't. He was dressed in simple black, almost priestly in it's severity. In fact he had come close to joining the priesthood on several occasions, his strong, personal faith taking him on many strange paths. Today, however, the clothing was simply keeping the grass from staining his knees as he bent to his task.

Tomorrow was Memorial day, a day of remembrance, and he wanted to keep the cemetery looking fine. He had an assortment of flowers all neatly arranged for planting - pansies here, marigolds there. He loved to plant fresh young flowers, to beautify this world with gifts from the Father, but today, he couldn't stop his eyes from staying to a small square staked off with sticks and tape in the corner where the memorial statues were placed.

It didn't happen often, but there had been a disastrous mission or two where more than one person was killed and the bodies not recovered. In those instances, the students used their various talents to create and erect lovely granite statues in honor of the departed. It hadn't been widely discussed, but that area in the corner had been staked off with three unrecovered teammates in mind.

As quickly as the strange disappearances had started, so too they had ended, the last one a mere two weeks after Logan, Henry and Remy were gone. Still no one had claimed responsibility, an odd thing considering how many militant factions there were out there operating in their world, both mutant and human alike. One particular new mutant terrorist had been especially active, a cheery fellow named Jael who simply loved blowing up buildings and racking up his body counts. No one had seen his face or knew where he was, but he was quick to make sure everyone knew he was the one reaping such bloody havoc. In this case, the X-men waited for news, but even Jael didn't come forward on the disappearances. It was disappointing, at least Jael was a physical being that would be tracked down eventually. He had a name. Whoever had stolen their teammates was a faceless, nameless ghost and with each passing day, it grew less certain the missing X-men would return.

Of the three missing teammates, Kurt missed Logan the most. His priestly intentions aside, Kurt loved nothing more than to sit alongside that seasoned warrior as they both had a few frosty mugs of beer and debated the secrets of the universe. Not that Wolverine was all that talkative, but there were moments, occasionally, after a difficult mission when Logan needed some kind of justification for the hard facts of life. People were mean, people were cruel, and for all of their efforts, bigotry against mutants still continued. Nightcrawler often acted as Logan's conscience, trying to get the feral mutant to think a little more about his actions. He was teaching Logan that killing wasn't always the best first option and his words, spoken with patient understanding, had been working their way in. The effects of those conversations had been seen by all, Wolverine had been slowly becoming more tactful and less violent. Kurt hated to think of all that work wasted. At best, he could only hope that if his dear friend was dead, that God had appreciated Logan's efforts enough not to judge him too harshly.

Nightcrawler was as complicated as his dear friend. He loved the action of a good mission but at the same the time, craved the solitude and contemplation of the holy life. He was torn at times and it was this uncertainty that kept him here as an X-man, serving both as a teammate, but also as a natural confidant and councilor to many. It was in this capacity as unofficial confessor that had kept him busy the past few weeks. The disappearance of Henry, Gambit and Wolverine had affected a large number of the senior staff and in their mourning, they had come to him for comfort. This he did not mind, he was well suited for it and it pleased him that he could help ease their pain.

The X-men team here was large and the talent best divided into squads. Logan was quite active and crossed over into many squads, one of them being Kurt's group. Kurt was obviously closest to the members of his own squad and the first to come to him was Storm, their resident weather witch. She was a longtime team member and had come on the same time Kurt had. She was a lovely African American, her chocolate skin complimented by her shock white hair and soft blue eyes. Once, on a mission that had taken her undercover as a jewel thief, she came home with a real one of her own, one Remy LeBeau. They had become fast friends on the mission and at first, no one had questioned her judgement. Gambit's powers had complimented the team and everything worked out well until Remy's terrible secret had come out.

Storm had been a major participant in an outreach group the Professor had set up to try and reach the surviving Morlocks of the Massacre. She had been there first hand, witnessing the aftermath of that horrific crime, and in helping the unfortunate, had come to feel that the Morlocks were in some way her own. The discovery of Gambit's involvement in that crime had been shattering to her. She simply couldn't equate her playful heroic thief with the heartless monster who had lead those vicious killers down into the tunnels. Their friendship had strained to the breaking point. While she didn't denounce Remy to his face, even after his return from exile, they were no longer close.

The next to seek out Kurt's patient and compassionate ear was Jean. Jean Grey Summers was a powerful telepath, though not on a par with the Professor. She was also telekinetic and an active team member. Jean was one of Xavier's oldest students, a fiery redhead with a strong spirit. She was the wife of Scott Summers and they had a good marriage, but it was well known that Scott had a rival for her affections in Wolverine. There had been a spark between Logan and Jean, one that had never been acted on, but it was there just the same. Jean missed Logan in her way and had come to see Kurt, seeking his kind and gentle ear. Kurt was safely neutral and never passed judgement, a man with an endless ear for listening. Just his ability to let her unload her pain with passive patience had made her feel infinitely better. She was coping well with the loss.

Also part of Kurt's squad was Bobby Drake, the class clown. Everyone had to have one, the guy who couldn't keep still and was always joking around, breaking the tension. Bobby was an original student of the Professor's, but he was also one of the youngest. He was the least tragic of their little squad, he looked like a normal human but could create and control ice from the ambient moisture in the air. If he worked hard enough at it, he could even transform his body into a living, moving statue of ice as well. Of the group he was taking the disappearances the best, he just seemed to be acting on the principle that the three of them would just waltz in that front door, casually asking what they had missed on X-files while they were gone. Bobby was fresh and blonde, his hair spiked and a clean shaven face except for a tuft of blonde fuzz on his chin. He had to be different and never failed to make Kurt smile, even through the bad times.

Kurt finished with the pansies and grabbed a crate of marigolds, moving on to another marker. History was taught here at the school and some events couldn't – or shouldn't – be erased. There was also a large memorial here in memory of all the Morlocks who had been killed in the Massacre. The Massacre had taken place five years ago, but for the last three, just before Memorial Day, someone had gotten to it with fresh flowers before Kurt could. At first Kurt couldn't figure out who it was, Storm perhaps, but after that fiasco in Antarctica, well, by then everyone pretty much knew who it had been. Even during the six months Remy had been cut off from the team, he had still stolen his way over the fence to tend to the marker, it was the first sign Kurt had been given that their dear friend had in fact survived that most severest of sentences. This was the first year in the past three that it hadn't been tended to, an agonizing reminder that Remy might not be coming back at all this time.

Kurt sighed and gently whispered this soft prayer for his missing friends,

_"May the Lord bless you and keep you;_

_May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;_

_May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."_

Not all of Kurt's squad members had taken the loss as he had anticipated. Of all the ones closest to the missing, the one that troubled Kurt the most was Rogue. He had fully expected her to be one of the first to come to him for comfort but oddly, she had not approached him at all. Always concerned, Kurt had kept a watchful eye on her. He understood that the relationship she shared with the Cajun thief was not one of those smooth and steady rides like Jean and Scott were having. Rogue and Remy were one of those two months on, two weeks off kind of couples, coming together and separating with the same amount of passionate energy. They were loud at times, especially when they argued. It might seem pleasant enough on the surface, just a game to the spirited thief, but Kurt was aware that there were times that Gambit staggered into the Institute after a night of binge drinking, an unhealthy masochistic gleam in his eyes. Kurt would often try to get Remy to open up, they shared a common Catholic background, but since Antarctica, Remy was shy when it came to personal matters.

Before this last mission Kurt had been especially hopeful for the couple, they'd had the longest streak of together time, just over three months without a fight. They had seemed especially close and affectionate, spending a lot of time together. This made Rogue's present behavior all the more puzzling.

Rogue was not sulking or off crying in a corner somewhere. She had been moody for a week or so, but then she did an odd thing. She had cut her long, flowing hair quite short and went shopping, buying a whole new wardrobe. Kurt had raised an eyebrow at this but had said nothing, perhaps this was the way she grieved, but he couldn't help but sense she was feeling something other than loss for her dearly departed. She looked, well, almost **relieved **he was gone.

Kurt tried to tell himself he was mistaken, but he feared for his friend's return. If by some miracle, the small team returned, what was Gambit going to find?

In times of trouble it was only natural to turn to their leadership and so Kurt had been keeping an eye on the Professor as well. Charles had been doing his best to watch over them all and was keeping up a good face, but everyone knew he was worried. He would see them through this, he always did when one of their own had died, but Kurt was hoping it wouldn't come down to that.

Kurt sighed again and shifted on his knees, feeling the tension in his legs from kneeling for so long. He smiled, thinking he should be used to this. Planting flowers was the same as saying a prayer and so he spoke another, whispering soft words of gratitude for his blessings and yet, offering a humble request for the safe return of his friends. He had no desire to see yet another marble statue standing in the place of the missing. If only they knew where the three had gone, that alone would make this so much easier. Kurt couldn't help but frown. If they were still alive, where had they gone and what could they possibly be doing right now?


	2. Chapter 2

(Two)

Wolverine was the first to wake. He was foggy and disoriented from Fallen's disastrous jump. Soft voices trickled into his dim awareness, Seth and Kimble were arguing from somewhere around him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Logan groaned and wiped his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. He was on the floor just outside the cage, he hadn't been tossed very far when they jumped. He looked inside the cage room and saw Fallen lying motionless on the floor behind her stick. It didn't look like she was breathing. He could smell burnt plastic coming from the lower level. He saw the trap door was open and took a big sniff. Burnt but not burning. Thank God for small favors.

He got to his hands and knees in a daze but paused when he saw a white figure walk briskly out of Fallen's lav with a med-kit. It was the Kimble hologram. No, wait, Logan thought to himself. That wasn't possible. The hologram was supposed to be restrained, never mind running. He blinked, squinted. No, it was real. Kimble was really there. Wolverine got up and walked on rubbery legs over to the cage. He tried to enter through the door, but a security grid lit up in the doorway and a force field blocked him.

"Security grid 6 activated," Lucky chirped helpfully.

"Hey!" Logan grumbled, frustrated.

The Kimble hologram was kneeling on the floor next to Fallen. He was shirtless and dressed only in the tight fitting black jeans. He had the med kit open and ignored Wolverine as he rummaged around inside it. His hair slid down over his shoulder and he tossed his long dangling pony tail behind him in irritation. He gently turned Fallen onto her back, being careful with her head and neck. Wolverine thought he saw a dim glow of blue light where Kimble touched her bare skin as if there was some kind of static charge between them. Kimble paused for a moment, puzzled, and looked with wonder at his hands.

When Wolverine had first seen the Kimble hologram all those days ago and recognized something different and special about him, he had been quite correct. What he couldn't possibly have known was the impact Kimble would have on all of their lives.

Kimble was in fact quite sentient and more than a little clever in his own way, but had been clueless about what to do when Fallen had overloaded the ship with her Ristle power, it had all happened too fast. Seth had been quicker, ordering Kimble about. Seth had known the overload would likely destroy the ship so he had rerouted as much of the power as he could to keep the ship from imploding as Lucky had warned. Kimble had known better than to argue with his talented brother and had done as Seth had commanded. Seth's quick thinking had worked as far as keeping the ship intact, but there was the risk that Fallen would have been injured from the backwash as the power had been routed through the ship's systems. Someone would have to get to her as soon as possible after the surge had passed and Kimble got elected. Seth had frantically activated the hologram program before the surge had burnt itself out. Being the most capable to use it, Kimble flung himself into the hologram, dragging his personal files with him, represented by the black bag. All of this had taken less than a couple of seconds.

Once Kimble was in the hologram, Seth had used an access key to unlock the last of the Siskan program codes. These codes would 'finish' the hologram and restore it to what it should have been originally. Seth had discovered the key just before they left Cerise but had been waiting to use it. He had wanted to wait for Fallen to help him with it but now she'd taken that option away from him. Seth had no choice but to try it alone. He had believed Kimble had a better chance of helping Fallen with the hologram whole and complete.

Kimble's personality had only just fully loaded itself into the hologram cube when he saw a blinding flash of light. Fallen's volatile Ristle energy overload next surged from the ship into the hologram as it had all the other ship systems, changing the chemical nature of the hologram itself and turning it into something else. The restraining cubes exploded violently from the overload, freeing Kimble from the limited area of the shop room. At the time Kimble had thought he had heard a scream from somewhere far away, he realized afterwards that it had come from himself. He had felt a kind of searing pain as a torrent of brilliant sensory data flooded his thoughts. These things had been muted before because the hologram hadn't been complete and the sharpness of his newly restored senses assaulted him now. Sight, smell, sound, touch. His mad dash from the lower level to the cage had been a blur of sensation and brightness.

Now, here in the cage room, the lights were almost too dazzling for his sensitized eyes. He could feel the vibrations of the ship through his furry bare feet on the floor. He could smell the melted plastic from the abused wiring and hear the sounds of the distressed passengers, most notably Logan who was shouting at him from a distance too close for comfort. His hands tingled with every contact of Fallen's skin. When he recognized the sensation as a pale reflection of when she powered the ship, it occurred to him that he was absorbing tiny amounts of her Ristle energy as he touched her.

When he had previously been part of the onboard operating system, he would get a taste of Fallen's Ristle power every time she rode the stick. It was a wonderful, orgasmic rush whenever she fired off a big bolt to launch or boost. He could never explain why he felt what he did and never told Fallen about it. He thought it might have something to do with the Siskan pleasure programming codes but he couldn't be sure. If Seth had felt the same thing he had never said anything about it and so Kimble had kept his little secret to himself. Now he had to try and ignore all that was happening to him from the restoration and take care of Fallen his precious Mistress.

It was in the nature of a Siskan Courtesan to care for its Master or Mistress and Kimble was no exception. His greatest difficulty at the moment was that he didn't know how much longer his current power supply was going to last or what would happen to him once it was gone. Fallen needed him now and she was his only priority.

"Okay, Seth. What now?" Kimble growled towards the screen in the Main Room, doing his best to hide the panic that was shaking his words. "What do I haves to do next?"

Seth's portion of the control room now took up the whole screen, making him appear larger than life. It revealed the full extent of his grief and anguish, he was barely able to keep from crying. "D-do a Med-scan," he answered in a quivering voice.

"Easy, kid. Let's jus' do this," Kimble said without looking up. He was terrified by the whole situation, but needed to keep Seth calm and so he gave the appearance of patient tranquility. If Seth became aware of how frightened he really was, this whole thing would only get worse. Kimble put the Med Strip on Fallen's forehead as directed and Seth began a scan.

Lucky read off the results. "Ristle energy backwash. Damage to the Neural Ristle Process. Severe trauma to the left quadrant. Shock. Bio- rhythm failure."

"Shit! What do I do now?" Kimble growled again.

"You have to do CPR," Seth answered quickly. "I'm sending you the file now."

Kimble paused as instructions on CPR both flooded his mind and came up on in a small box on the viewing screen behind him. Even though he was out in the hologram, Kimble had a kind of telepathic link with Lucky, similar to a wireless modem, that allowed information to be sent back and forth between himself and the ship. Fallen had installed this capability in the hologram when she first began to restore it and it was this that had allowed him to link up with Lucky and 'borrow' Lucky's resources to learn and store data. A file transfer was as good as learning something instantly and with his computer driven mind, Kimble would never forget it once installed. Now, as qualified as any EMT that had trained for years, he laced his hands into position and began pumping Fallen's chest, his fingers still glowing slightly from the contact with her skin. His execution of the procedure was perfect, he breathed into her mouth and pumped her chest with skill as he repeated the process. Working harder now, he began to mumble to himself angrily, "Stupid! Stupid, kid! Fuckin' quitter! No goddamn fuckin' patience!"

"Bio-rhythm resumed," Lucky chirped.

Kimble heard and sat back on his ankles, wiping his chin. He was sweating from his labor and from the rising tide of the panic he was trying to hold back. He knew how to take care of people, sure, but he had never had to rescue anyone like this. He didn't want to think about Fallen being gone, what that might mean for him and his brother. He was getting overloaded with new sensations and it was hard for him to stay focused on what he was doing it had been far too long since he'd been out with all of the hologram intact. His hands were tingling with energy and it was distracting him.

Maylee, the next passenger to get free, now joined Wolverine at the cage's edge. "Kimble? But how..?" She saw Fallen lying still. "What are you doing?"

"Bio-rhythm failure," Lucky prompted again.

"Damnit!" Kimble cursed and went back to work. Pump. Pump. Pump. Breathe. Pump. Pump. Pump. Breathe. "C'mon, Fallen, ya stupid little bitch!" He smiled angrily as he worked. "Give **me** a command override, will ya? I'll give **you** a command override - **Fuckin' breathe!**" he shouted into her face.

"Bio-rhythm resumed."

Fallen convulsed and inhaled deeply from her mouth in a startled gasp like a fish that had suddenly been yanked from life giving water. She coughed and moaned in pain, thrashing, her eyes open now but unfocused, seeing nothing. Kimble held her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. So pale blue, so beautiful he could fall into them forever. He had always loved the look of her. "Fallen? Fallen, kin ya hears me?" She mumbled something incomprehensible. "Hey? Ya in there, girl?"

Her eyes closed.

"Bio-rhythm failure."

"Fuck!" Kimble snarled in frustration. He began pumping her chest again.

Seth cried out, he couldn't restrain himself any longer. He was helpless and trapped in the control room, in no position to help. He stood up and put his hands to the screen and sobbed, "Fallen, please! Don't you leave me! Not now!"

"Don'tcha bail on me, Seth!" Kimble hollered without looking up from his task. "You bail an' I'll go back in there an' kick yer fuckin' ass!"

"Let me in, Kimble!" Maylee demanded from outside of the cage. "Let me help her!"

"Bio-rhythm resumed."

Kimble sat back on his ankles again, his sides heaving. The Honor Sword rippled darkly against his bright white skin as he breathed, a detail that only enhanced the reality of his actually being there. He wiped his face and looked at the sweat on his hands, not quite believing it was really there for him to feel. He was real again, alive. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, he wanted to scream. His panic and the sensory data overload was making it hard to maintain his control.

The tinny voice of the Lucky Dragon clicked on again, this time offering advice to the badly frightened hologram alone in the cage with his poor, damaged Mistress. "Bio-rhythm stabilizer, substance code: B21, recommended. Fallen. Body mass 92 pounds. Dosage12cc."

"Help me, Seth!" Kimble ordered, dismissing his mesmerizing sensory overload and dutifully turning back to the screen. "Gimmie the fuckin' file!"

"Sending!" Seth replied, gasping as he tried to control his sobbing.

Kimble turned to the open medkit and pawed through the bottles. They all had tiny labels on them with numbers. He selected the one Lucky said and grabbed a syringe. As he ripped the sanitary paper wrapping open, instructions on how to inject blinded him. He swayed unsteadily and blinked, trying to absorb it all. His poor brain was going to explode, he was sure of it. This was all so unreal and happening way too fast.

"Kimble, let me in!" Maylee repeated, angry at being left out. She was the medic after all. "Seth! Kimble won't let me in!"

She was ignored.

Kimble plunged the needle into the bottle and expertly drew out 12cc with the same skill he had while performing the CPR. In a span of mere minutes he was as good as any nurse could have been. He traced Fallen's arm, found the vein, injected. He startled visibly when Valentin slammed his fists against the cage.


	3. Chapter 3

(Three)

Valentin had been one of the last ones to wake and when he saw the crowd gathered at the cage's edge, he knew there had been trouble. Ever cautious, he had taken the time to recover his sword, reaching under his seat silently and without being noticed. He gripped it now in a white knuckled hand, furious. He had been stunned when he saw Kimble in the cage. Sure he knew the Siskan existed in the computer, but since he had never known about the personality's ability to come out in a hologram, his shock was doubled. But what had truly enraged him was seeing the Honor Sword Mark proudly displayed on Kimble chest. Valentin had always wanted the Mark for himself but was never quite good enough. Now Fallen had put the Mark on this freak. He now understood why Kimble and Seth had always worn shirts when in his presence. Fallen had given this Mark to her pets and had been hiding it all this time. Her insolence knew no boundaries and she would pay dearly for this.

"What the hell is going on?" Valentin bellowed in his outrage.

Wolverine gripped Valentin's shoulder and heaved the First General away from the cage. He spun him around and shoved him back into Joseph who had come to his aid. Logan snarled, "Back off! The guy's a little busy!" Valentin advanced, but paused when Logan popped his claws. "Not a good idea, bub."

Valentin unsheathed his sword and tossed the scabbard aside. Joseph moved in behind him and followed suit.

"We should have left you to rot on Cerise!" Valentin snarled and lunged at Wolverine.

One thing about arrogant men was their predictability. Logan knew he was going to charge and when he did, sidestepped him easily with a well trained grace. He grabbed Valentin's sword arm as he came forward and stuck his own leg out, tripping him. Logan used the big man's momentum to spin him around while still gripping his wrist, snapping both bones in his forearm. There was a sickening crack as the bones gave way, a sharp report like the sound of a gun going off, and Valentin howled in pain. All of this took less than a second.

Joseph never hesitated to aid his Master. He stepped up and plunged his sword through Wolverine's stomach, a mad grin on his lips.

His hands still full with Valentin, Logan never had a chance to defend himself. He didn't give the scream of pain Joseph was seeking, he had experienced far worse than this, but only grunted loudly as the blade slid right through him. Wolverine released Valentin involuntarily, his body going into shock even if his brain didn't quite catch up with it yet. He fell back into the seats, taking Joseph's sword down with him.

Valentin, now released, finished his forward motion as his legs buckled and his sword fell to the floor with a clatter, signaling his defeat.

Gambit had revived from Fallen's suicidal jump just after Logan and was on the ball quickly, all of his training coming to serve him well. He'd sensed the impending attack just as Logan had and reacted immediately to the Clansmen's advance. He was too far away to stop Valentin but next dove at Joseph, protecting his teammate from being stabbed again. He was worried for Logan sure, but had compartmentalized it for now, seeking only to keep the damage to a minimum. Logan would heal if given the chance. Remy clothes-lined Joseph across the neck and dragged him to the floor before smashing Joseph's face with a sharp crack of his elbow, stunning him.

Beast was up now as well. He looked past all this to observe a half drugged, drunken Bruce stagger woozily to his feet. Bruce had woken from the sedative he'd been given just in time to see Valentin rush the X-men. He didn't comprehend what he was seeing, only knew that he was supposed to back up his Master in any situation and had risen to do so. He held a sword in his hands, but was clearly in no condition to use it. Bruce's foggy brain understood only that Valentin was howling in pain and he was somehow supposed to do something about it. He jerked forward in a sloppy lunge with the sword, but Beast easily grabbed his wrist and twisted it with just enough force to make Bruce to drop his weapon without actually hurting him. He had more control than Wolverine and had no desire to see his friend injured.

Bruce growled with pain and staggered back as he was released. "What's going on?"

"Just calm down and take it easy," Henry tried to soothe, but though he saw only fear and disbelief in Bruce's eyes, explanations would have to wait for a calmer moment. He moved closer and blocked the aisle before Bruce could try to do any more harm.

Bruce backed up and grumbled with frustration, but stayed put.

Meanwhile, Valentin had gathered some of his wits. He reached again for his sword with his good hand, but cried out in surprise when Maylee stomped down on his fingers, pinning him. She stood over him, holding a small dagger in her trembling hands, an unspoken threat. Valentin, outnumbered and now injured, pulled back and sat back on his haunches to reassess his situation. He sensed Henry looming behind him and gave it up — for now.

Wolverine tried to regain his footing, but kept getting the sword that was still trapped in his guts hung up on the seats. He cursed through a snarl and slowly drew it out, tearing the flesh that had foolishly tried to heal around it. Blood gushed out in a warm river down his legs, but stopped almost immediately once the sword was removed. The cut had sealed itself, preventing blood loss, but the internal injury itself would take longer to heal. It was still very painful and he shut it out as the long years of his life had trained him to do. He would worry about that later, when he was sure the fighting was done. He did notice a large rip in his shirt and swore again, he should have known better than to put his good Earth clothes back on. This was the second time in two days he had his guts ripped to pieces. He could heal, but two such serious injuries in so little time made him tired and sore. He heaved himself up with a grunt and took a step towards Valentin who was still crouched in the aisle.

"Are we done?" Logan grumbled at him impatiently.

Valentin raised his hands in surrender and said nothing, but his eyes were wild with defiance.

Logan looked at Maylee. "We got anything to tie these guys up with?"

"I think Fallen's got some rope in the galley." She left to retrieve it.

Gambit had Joseph pinned quite nicely, and snorted with his usual arrogance. "Not much of a contest if you ask me, homme."

"Yeah, well, you didn't get stabbed," Wolverine complained.

"Heh, mebbe next time."

Maylee returned with the rope and they began to tie up the Clansmen.

Valentin glared at Bruce. " 'Bout time you woke up, you fuckin' faggot. Not like you did us any good," he hissed with real contempt.

Bruce just lowered his eyes and allowed himself to be bound with no argument. He had no clue what was going on. He had no idea where they were, or even why he was on the ship at all, only that some kind of mutiny had taken place. As he was tossed back into his seat, he looked with wonder at the scene playing out inside the cage.


	4. Chapter 4

(Four)

Kimble dismissed the activity outside of the cage, he simply didn't have time for it. He reached behind him and yanked the blankets off the cage room bed. He pulled them over Fallen and wrapped her up, tucking them under her with swift and practiced hands. She had begun to tremble from shock and moan with pain. Kimble asked for a full bio-scan with enhanced shots of the Neural Ristle trauma while he worked. Seth did as he was told and the data scrolled up on the screen. Pictures flashed rapidly, too quickly for a human mind to follow, but Kimble saw it just fine if he sat still and concentrated. A final picture settled on the screen.

"Neural Ristle trauma. Left quadrant damage critical. Ristle production disabled," Lucky announced, speaking Fallen's doom without passion. He was, after all, just a machine.

Maylee was still standing in the isle. She turned to the screen and groaned. "This is bad!" She started to shake, Fallen was like a mother to her. She couldn't bear the thought of her pain.

Undone, Seth broke down completely. He pulled his legs up and hunched over in his chair.

"Aw, Fallen! What didja do?" Kimble wailed, shaken. "Stupid–stupid, bitch!" He was instantly furious, growling. He grabbed a handful of bottles from the med-kit and in his wrath, threw them against the wall. They shattered explosively, filling the air with a medicinal smell. What were they going to do now, he wondered. What a stupid fucking waste!

"Hey! Take it easy in there!" Wolverine snapped, uncomprehending the seriousness of the situation. He staggered drunkenly to the edge of the cage, still in pain from Valentin's abuse. "She's still breathin'! How bad can it be?" All this drama was wearing on him.

"Let me in, Kimble," Maylee pleaded. "Let me finish this. Don't let her suffer."

Wolverine looked at her in surprise. "What are ya talkin' about?"

Kimble tried to control himself. He had to slow down and think, he could figure this out if he could relax and concentrate. _Deep breaths_, he told himself. That was all he needed. _She's breathin'. She's still alive. Okay. Wait. Wait just a minute._ He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, concentrating. A moment later, he knew what he needed. He called out to his brother but when he got no answer, Kimble looked up and saw his twin had broken down. "Seth! Damnit! Seth!"

Seth looked up slowly, but said nothing. His eyes were filled with sorrow and defeat.

"Gimmie the file on the Red Sky," Kimble demanded, his voice level and calm now that he had his solution. He was sympathetic to Seth's situation more than his brother could know, but he had to tend to his Mistress first.

"Wh-why?" Seth asked wiping his eyes and shivering.

"Just send it fer me, okay?"

Seth did as he was told and Kimble scanned the file as quickly as it was sent. He smiled wearily and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he saw what he was looking for. There. There it was. Fallen would be angry but she'd understand. She'd left him no choice, really. He got to his feet and hopped out of the cage room window in a perfect imitation of Fallen's bird like grace. The trapdoor to the lower level was still open and he went down quickly without looking back.

Maylee tried to follow, but she was blocked as another security force field lit up on the floor.

"Security grid 12 activated," Lucky chirped.

Maylee was furious, Kimble was trapping them at will, using mental commands to activate security grids that had been implanted into the floor. He clearly didn't want anyone to interfere with what he was doing. "Kimble!" she shouted, uselessly beating her hands against the invisible barrier.

He didn't answer her but returned quickly with a small white box in his hand. It had a Chinese style Dognan character on it.

Maylee recognized it immediately. "Oh, don't you even think about it! Where did you get that!"

Alarmed by Maylee's reaction, Seth demanded from the screen. "What are you doing, Kimble? What is that?"

Kimble ignored everyone and hopped back into the cage. He sat next to Fallen and grabbed another syringe, unconsciously rubbing his wings together nervously, the tension and strain of all of this was starting to wear on him. He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm and relaxed. He had to do this. He had to do this for her. He opened the box he'd brought up from below and removed out a slim white bottle. He ripped open the paper on another syringe with his teeth before closing his eyes to concentrate.

"Substance Code: White Lightning. Neural Ristle Process Stimulant," Lucky recited, prompted by Kimble's mental question about the dosage. "Fallen. Body mass 92 pounds. Minimum dosage 5cc every seven hours."

Kimble loaded the syringe, the liquid from the bottle was clear and harmless looking.

Maylee knew otherwise. "Don't do it, Kimble. Please!"

"Gots no choice. She ain't wakin' up without it. She don't wake, we die," he responded firmly, finally acknowledging her.

Gambit and Wolverine looked at each other in alarm. This was news to them.

Maylee continued to plead. "Don't! If you care anything about her, let her go."

Kimble paused and gave her a long hard look, his anguish obvious. She couldn't possibly comprehend what Fallen meant to him so he said nothing and tore his eyes away. He traced Fallen's arm again carefully and found the vein.

"Warning," Lucky continued. "Illegal substance. Use of this product may cause seizure, violent behavior, psychosis, hallucinations, and dependence. Body mass less than optimum. Increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and hemorrhage."

"Sweet jeezus!" Wolverine muttered under his breath.

Henry stepped up to the cage for the first time. "Maybe we should discuss this."

"T'ain't nuthin' ta discuss," Kimble replied without looking up. He was firm in his conviction that this was their only option for survival and they were in no position to stop him. He inserted the needle and pulled back on the plunger. A small trace of blood swirled and danced with the poison inside. He closed his eyes, hesitating.

"Kimble, please!" Seth said quietly.

"Ya knows I gots ta do it. Jus' tell her - jus' tells her it wuz my idea, none of yous had anathin' ta do with it."

"Don't!" Maylee sobbed. She bowed her head against the cage, defeated.

Kimble opened his eyes to look at Fallen's troubled face. He could see and feel her pain. How many nights did he silently watch over her like this, just to see her sleeping calm white face? Too many to count. Lord knew, he loved her. It was like a white hot pleasure blasting through his very soul. It was killing him to watch her suffer, but he wasn't going to give her up without a fight. She was his responsibility and it was up to him to take care of her the best he could. Nothing would ever tear him away from his duty.

"Fergives me," he whispered and injected.

Maylee shoved away from the cage, upset. "You asshole! I hate you!"

Kimble pulled the needle out and tossed it, the deed done. He cursed his Mistress for forcing him to decide this and he crouched next to her, his head down. Seth hunched over again, exhausted.

A window popped up on the screen labeled "Ristle Production Level". It was scrolling a flat line.

Fallen shuddered and calmed noticeably, the Lightning was doing its work.

Kimble sat still for what seemed to him to be a long time. He needed to move now, or he'd go crazy. He rose stiffly and started picking up the glass from his earlier little tantrum. There was a lot of it and he couldn't fit it all in his hands so he walked into the lav and returned with the bucket. He put the glass inside the pail, focusing on the task and not on the racing emotions inside of him. He was excited and frightened, thrilled to be out again and yet terrified of being so exposed. He refused to look at the others or at the window on the screen, not wanting to jinx this. He walked back to the lav and dumped the glass in a garbage bin, grabbing a towel to mop up the cage floor.

He paused when he saw the jar of cigarettes on the bathroom vanity and took one impulsively. He lit it using Fallen's snap trick, discovering that he stored enough of the Ristle he'd absorbed to do this. He inhaled and felt the smoke flow inside of him. Strange how he could taste it now, feel the chemicals pass into his system, soothing his jangled nerves. When he smoked as a program it meant nothing; it was just a series of actions that calmed him because that's what the data instructed. Smoking now relaxed him in a more tangible way, serving him chemicals that actually affected his physical body.

He caught his reflection in the mirror and stopped, his curiosity getting the better of him. There were no mirrors in the shop and so he'd never actually seen himself in this skin. He'd had many different forms over the years, it often changed with each new user. Now a stranger peered back at him. He ran his fingertips along the Honor Sword mark. Different how he could feel the touch both on his skin and his fingertips. He had forgotten how nice this was. It had been a long time since the hologram had been fully restored. He could sense memories of another time, of pleasures just waiting to be felt again. It was just as well that Fallen had never indulged him sexually, he thought to himself. It would have been a waste compared to what he was capable of feeling now. Any desire to return to the main system he may have had evaporated instantly.

Looking at himself, Kimble remembered how proud Fallen had been when she'd received the Honor Sword Mark. Proud enough to give to both of the twins as well. They'd earned it together, she'd said. He liked the look of it on his skin, the bright colors pleased him. He had always liked colorful things, especially glass because of the prism effects from the surrounding light.

He inhaled from his cigarette again and watched the red tip of it glow as it burned. Smoke drifted lazily from his parted lips. His eyes followed it in the mirror, fascinated. A small fan came on overhead, activated by the smoke. He felt the slight breeze tickle the hair on his arms. He shivered and felt gooseflesh rise, snickering with amusement. He was whole again.

In the next room, Wolverine was growing impatient, no surprise with his ill tempered history. Kimble had gone into the lav and not come out. It was too quiet. Logan was none too pleased to be trapped in one place like this. Why would Kimble isolate them if he wasn't up to something? "What's he doin' in there?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Henry replied.

" 'Ey, mes amis," Gambit interrupted, pointing to the screen. "What's dat?"


	5. Chapter 5

(Five)

Kimble was drifting away, distracted by the smoke. It was easy to lose his place with so many wonders to remember. He closed his eyes and did a quick scan of his files. The access code Seth had used had unlocked some memory files from the original program, he now had some restored memories from before he was broken. He already had a few shattered, fragmented memories from before, splintered but priceless. They were all he had and he had kept them to himself, protecting them fiercely, even from Seth. Now he was tempted to check out some of the new ones, to recall what he'd lost. Some part of him screamed in protest. It was better to forget and just go on as he was now. Still, he was curious by nature. He peeked into one, thrilled to learn that this was a pleasure program memory...and oh, how pleasant it was indeed! He shivered from a sudden, fierce arousal, his face flushing instantly, and decided it was best to put that one aside to amuse himself with later in private.

He peeked into another, but this time grunted with shock and surprise from being assaulted by a vision of violence and bloody mayhem. He'd seen a flash of himself in another skin wielding a bloody, dripping sword. This Kimble had been overcome by rage and despair. There was a flash of light as he was blasted away by some kind of electrical weapon.

Kimble quickly closed the horrible file and banished it as far away as he could. Where the hell did that come from? He bent over the basin and coughed as his belly heaved, doing his best not to actually vomit. He looked up at the mirror and suddenly never wanted to see himself ever again. His reflection frightened him.

"Hey, you!" came a voice from outside the cage, one that sounded like Wolverine.

Kimble ignored it. He wiped his mouth with a trembling hand as the other strayed unnoticed to his ear in a Seth like gesture of terror. That memory had been mistake. It had to be. No way was he some kind of violent killer. Someone had corrupted his files, that was it. He had someone else's stupid memories. Everyone knew the Clan programmers all sucked. Yeah, that was it. He had files that didn't belong to him. He took a deep trembling breath and cleared his mind. Those files would remain closed. He would delete them at his earliest convenience. Just the thought of dumping them calmed him and his spell of nausea passed.

Seth came on the lav screen. "Check the data, Kimble."

Kimble nodded, glad for the excuse to do something else. He tore himself away from the mirror and walked out of the lav. Maylee and the others were watching the scrolling line. The flat line was wavering slightly. Kimble went to the cage window and leaned on the sill. He waited patiently, smoking now to calm himself, his misadventure in the lav forgotten for the moment.

Blip. The line bounced significantly.

He cocked his head, interested. Waited and smoked some more. Another fan came on above him and he glanced up at it. _Why does Fallen gots all these stupid fans, anaway?_ he thought to himself, distracted.

Blip. The line was bobbing steadily now, just not very high.

"Well, what do ya know 'bout that?" he asked no one in particular, a huge grin breaking out across his face.

Logan glanced behind him as Bruce suddenly gasped. Bruce had turned quite pale and cowered back into his seat, his eyes wide. Something about what Kimble had just said had caught Bruce's attention. Logan could smell his fear and was hard pressed not to growl once more. This was now the second time Bruce had reacted this way to Kimble's voice and that was something the X-man could no longer dismiss or ignore. Now was not the time to investigate that fully, but he would be certain to find out what was going on when it was.

Kimble was oblivious to it all. He crushed out his cigarette in Fallen's ashtray by her stick, noticing several butts still sat in there, a trace of her presence. He saw a vision of her there on her stick, laughing at one of his jokes. The memory was startlingly painful, bringing the sting of tears to his eyes. He didn't want to think of being here without her.

Seth was excited now, rocking in his seat. "Talk to her, Kimble! See if you can wake her up!"

Kimble obeyed, walking over to where Fallen lay. He straddled her tiny waist and crouched down, looking at her. Her face was very still.

"Fallen?" he called out softly.

He reached down and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. Brushed her cheek. He watched with fascination the soft blue glow of his fingers as more of her Ristle energy seeped into him. It was stronger now than before and it felt warm and good as it passed into him. Her eyes flickered, but didn't open.

"Find me. I'm right here," he whispered. He moved closer, both hands on her cheeks now, and rubbed her face with his thumbs. The line on the screen wavered with more enthusiasm. "Fallen, kin ya hears me?"

"Uhhh..." she wheezed softly. Her eyes opened just a little.

"Talks ta me, kiddo," he pleaded, his eyes earnest.

"Who..Who's there..?" Her voice was very weak.

Kimble smiled broadly, relieved. "**La ShaRain natay LaRoo**."

"My guardian angel? What? Seth?"

"Humph! Seth ain't got the skills ta do fer you!" Kimble grumbled, offended.

"Kimble, it's you. Sorry. But the restraints...?"

"Blown out by a really stupid big power surge. Go figger," he said, still grumpy.

She laughed, coughed. "Very...funny."

"I'm here, Fallen," Seth said from the screen. "I'm still in the system."

Fallen turned her head towards his voice but couldn't see him. "Seth?"

Kimble grew stern, his eyes flinty. "Look at me!" he growled, turning her head back to face him. "That wuz a really, really stupid thing ya done. How couldja do that ta yerself? Ta alla us?" She turned her head away again, not wanting to hear it, but he carefully moved her back to look at him. "We had this all worked out. We had a plan!"

"Too late...Valentin.."

"No! It wuzn't ever too late!" He raised his voice without yelling. "Ya gives up too easy!"

"You don't know what it's like with him!" she spat out, her anger reviving her.

"Oh, like what's like?" he returned, pulling his hands away in his displeasure. "Like watchin' him treat yer Mistress like garbage, beat 'er up - **fuckin' rape 'er!**- and not bein' able ta do anathin' abouts it? Huh? Ya know what rapin' is ta me! Takin' without askin'! I'm Siskan! It fuckin' rips me up! Yer not the only one sufferin' in this!"

"You're just a program," came the weak reply.

"Kimble, please!" Seth pleaded. He could see his brother was gearing up for a nice big fight.

Kimble ignored him and sat back on his haunches over his Mistress, his eyes blazing. "An' Seth? Is he just a program, too? Huh? Last I checked you wuz in love with him! Doncha ever fuckin' insults me like that again!" He was furious.

Fallen began to sob weakly. "I'm so sorry... Sorry!"

Kimble caved almost immediately. He sighed heavily, blowing out his rage in one long breath. "Don' do that, baby doll," he protested in a much gentler tone of voice as he leaned forward to wipe the tears from her face. "Stop this now." He got off of her and she curled up into a ball, bawling. He didn't hesitate but pulled her up to him with the blankets and wrapped his big arms around her protectively, swallowing her up inside them. She seemed so tiny there and it made him sad. "I don' wanna fights witcha, Fallen. You jus' scared me really, really bad, is all."

Kimble's thin veneer of control wavered slightly and a single tear dripped down from one cheek. He rubbed his face against her head, trying to hide it. He was painfully aware of their audience of big strong men outside of the cage and he couldn't afford to let them see his weakness. He took another deep breath and calmed himself. He rocked her gently and petted her until she stopped crying. He whispered to her in Siskan and kissed the top of her head, hardly believing he was actually holding her. It wasn't so much that he was real to her as she was so very real to him now. He could smell her tears, feel the heat coming off of her body. He could feel her soft breath on his arm as she calmed. She was so close now he could breathe her Ristle energy from the air.

Seth watched him from the screen, saying nothing, but eyeing Fallen possessively. He'd never seen Kimble touch Fallen like this. He was never around when Kimble came out as a hologram to comfort her from her nightmares. He trusted Kimble but was uncomfortable seeing his brother do the same things he did to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry ... I almost killed you... I'm so sorry," she whispered finally.

"Fergits it." He kissed the top of her head. Her smell was there again, almost overwhelming him. He was so tired now, sad and tired down to his very core. "It's done. We'll deal with it."

Fallen sniffed. "I can feel what you did. The Lightning."

He continued stroking her head gently. "We'll deals with that, too."

Valentin jerked against the cage. "And what about me, boy? You gonna deal with me? That's my wife!"

Kimble looked up slowly, his eyes flinty and cold. Sharing Fallen with Seth he could deal with just fine, but this monster? There was no way in hell. He fixed Valentin with his heat and growled deep and low like a large mean watchdog. It was not a natural sound and there was no mistaking the malice. "You waits yer turn," he warned through gritted teeth.

Looking at Kimble, that hateful angry look on his face, Logan felt all of his earlier concerns about Kimble's mental stability were justified. Kimble gave off an air of danger.

Fallen put her hand on Kimble's chest and whispered to him. "Shush. He'll kill you."

Kimble continued to stare at Valentin, his eyes burning with his unconcealed hostility. He smiled wickedly, showing long, sharp canine teeth and his voice noticeably dropped in pitch as he growled, "He's a steamin' pile of maggoty dog shit what needs puttin' down."

Wolverine stepped up. "It ain't up ta you to do that."

Valentin looked up at his new challenger and sneered. "Oh, and you are?"

"We got enough problems right here without this. The two of you can settle up later."

Valentin returned to Kimble. "You and me. Soon. Very soon."

"I'll be there. You kin counts on it."

Valentin turned his head away no longer interested, but Wolverine surely was. He thought about the time he had watched Kimble dance. Kimble could move, sure, but he seriously doubted Kimble would be good enough to take Valentin down. What was Kimble really? Nothing more than a fancy dancer with a smart mouth. Valentin was a hardened warrior with many years of experience. To a point, Logan even respected him. It really was a shame he was such an asshole. Kimble couldn't even come close on a good day.

Kimble didn't care about any of that. He scooped Fallen up easily and lay her down on the cage room bed. She moaned softly in the sudden comfort of it and turned onto her side. He put a pillow against her belly and she curled around it like always. He tucked the blankets around her with practiced hands. "Git some rest."

He started to pull away when she caught his wrist with her tiny hand and said, "Thank you."

"Fer what?"

"For being there. For always being there for me."

"Anathin fer you, kid," he whispered gently, a gentle smile just for her. He looked up sharply as Seth came up on the small viewing screen next to the bed.

"We should keep the Med-scan running," Seth said, needing to say something. He wasn't comfortable with the way Kimble was looking at Fallen. It disturbed him in a way he didn't fully understand.

"All right. Now I gots ta go take care 'a some things," Kimble said to Fallen. "Git some rest."

"Don't go too far."

"I'll stay close by, don' worry. **Fayed rowth**, my Fallen." He moved away, standing in the center of the small room. He concentrated and sent a mental command, happy when the lights dimmed in the cage. He went to the doorway and then looked at the others. "We'll talk, but not here. In the galley."

Logan nodded and they filed out of the main room.


	6. Chapter 6

(Six)

A moment later, they were gathered in the galley. Joseph, Bruce and Valentin were tied to the fixed benches of the table. Maylee had another med-kit out and was putting a brace on Valentin's arm. They were all waiting for Kimble to compose himself so the meeting could begin.

Kimble was standing in front of the galley viewing screen, arms folded, watching streams of data go by. Seth was there and they were talking softly in Siskan to each other, conferring. Seth was informing him about the condition of the ship, looking worried as always. In one corner was the readout of Fallen's Ristle energy scan, the Med strip was constantly updating itself. Kimble flexed his wings and rubbed his arms absently as he read it. He wasn't sure how to say what needed to be said. He was studying her levels, concerned.

Logan was using this opportunity to clean up a little. Kimble had shut the security grids off outside of the cage, allowing Logan to grab a fresh change of clothes. He'd changed into Clan leather pants with no shirt and was using a damp towel to wipe off the blood from when he'd been stabbed. He'd been watching Kimble since he came into the galley, noting that the first thing Kimble had done was drink a large glass of water. He was a hologram but required fluids. He recalled the pilot had also drunk the last time he'd been out, when he had been dancing. Logan cataloged this knowledge in case he needed it later. Any weaknesses he knew of would be valuable.

As Logan cleaned up the blood, he couldn't help but notice how Bruce was also staring intently at Kimble. Bruce didn't seem to be as afraid now, only curious, as if he was trying to figure him out. Like maybe he recognized him somehow but couldn't place him. Logan thought he heard him whisper a name - Zander. Bruce leaned over to whisper something to Valentin, but was brushed off by the older man.

"You've got a lot of med-kits here," Beast noted as he watched Maylee skillfully set Valentin's arm and place it gently in a sling.

"Fallen gets hurt a lot," Maylee answered, giving Valentin a hard, angry look. The Clansman just smiled back at her, his eyes flinty and cold.

Seth told Kimble he was going to go back and watch over Fallen. He left and Kimble finally turned to the others, beginning this. He cleared his throat to get their attention and they quieted, anticipating what was to come.

"Okay, here's the deal. We made the jump okay. We're just on the other side of Clan air space meanin' we're in the right dimension ta git y'all back home. Problem is the engines're fried." Someone groaned and Kimble put his hand up. "Don' panic just yet. Me an' Fallen kin fix 'em - if she's able."

Logan shook his head. "What do ya mean, 'if she's able'?"

"Fallen seriously injured herself. She went and overloaded the stick. I never dreamed she wuz so powerful... Anyhow, me an' Seth sawr what she wuz gonna do, but didn't have enough time ta stop it. We wuz able ta reroute some of the overload inta the life support batteries-"

"What batteries?" Valentin snapped.

Kimble kept going, ignoring the interruption. "-and use some of it ta free up the hologram but it wuz still too much. It backwashed inta Fallen and caused some real damage."

"Maybe you should have just let her do it," Maylee said softly. She was still upset over Kimble's decision.

Kimble turned to her. "Do what, kid? Kill herself? Kill us all? Lucky would've exploded. We'd all be dead now if not fer me and Seth."

"It took her a year to get off that crap, Kimble! You didn't see it!" Maylee started to cry again. "All she did was scream. The nightmares!"

"She wuz alone then. She ain't now. It wuz my decision. Seth an me'll take care 'a her."

"What does the White Lightning do?" Henry wanted to know.

"It enhances the chemical connections in the brain that allow fer the Ristle energy ta be produced," Kimble answered. He and Henry next exchanged a medical volley so complicated no one else could understand. It was startling just how much Kimble knew in spite as coming off as uneducated and stupid. Henry knew exactly what Kimble was talking about even though he didn't pronounce the scientific terms as well.

Kimble could tell the others were left in the dust so he put his hands up to put Henry on hold and addressed them himself. "It stimulates the area of the brain that keeps her Ristle energy production active. The Ristle energy process is also tied inta the part of her brain that controls consciousness and rational thought."

He paused to organize his thoughts and reached to the table to take a cigarette from the glass jar there. He snapped to light it and took a deep drag, squinting as another stupid fan came on.

"If Fallen wuz normal, the drug would produce a kind of euphoric high. She's so far gone now, all it's doin' is keepin' her from slippin' into a coma," he said soberly, unable to hide his concern for her. He paused and smoked a little before speaking again, considering his words. "The Dognan designed the pilots so that if they wuz so injured they couldn't ever fly, they'd go in a coma and die cuz they couldn't be used."

"How could you possibly know all this?" Valentin demanded.

"Fallen told Seth. Seth told me."

"Why would she tell you and no one else? None of our other pilots are like that."

"They are, you just don't knows it. How many of them wuz ever in this kinda trouble for yous to see it? She's got a lot of Dognan memory implants, too. The Dognan never taught any of 'em how ta do stuff, they used implants - Salvage, Technology, some basic medical files 'bout herself. How do ya think she built this ship and evrathin' else she has? She knows lotsa things she don' talks about. She talks ta me an' Seth when she does cuz she trusts us. I don' think the same can be said fer you."

"You lie!" Valentin tried to rise. The ropes slipped a little, but held him. "I'll bet we're stuck like this because of something you did. How do we know you didn't screw us up doing this thing you did to yourself?"

Kimble turned to the group and raised his hand like a kid in class. "Who doesn't think Fallen tried to kill herself?" They were silent. "Anaone? Anaone? No?" He glared at Valentin. "You asshole!"

"Why would she do that? She would never put her passengers at risk!"

"Don' think she cared about too much anamore, Vally. Prob'ly figgered she wuz better off dead than married to a piece of shit like you."

Valentin roared and heaved against the ropes. They snapped and he was suddenly free, lunging for Kimble with all the violence he could muster. Gambit scrambled for him and missed as Valentin vaulted across the table. Even injured, he was formidable.

Kimble still dodged him easily and used all of his strength to slam a fist into his opponent's face, using his momentum against him. Kimble's fingers exploded with pain from the contact, but the power and the ability to act against Valentin sent a thrill right through him. Valentin's legs buckled from the power of the blow, but he didn't fall. He reeled and Beast grabbed his good arm, pulling him back.

Kimble wasn't done. He advanced towards Valentin, snarling, but before he could continue, his head was yanked brutally to one side. The pain in his scalp was enormous, horrible, and totally unexpected. He couldn't help but squeal from the shock of it, the cigarette flying from his mouth. Wolverine had twisted his ponytail tightly around one hand and then used it to fling Kimble into the wall like a child's plaything.

Kimble looked like a man, but his inorganic body was not quite as heavy, Logan had tossed him easily with more force than he had intended. Kimble hit the wall hard with a startled grunt. Instantly angry, the pilot snarled and shoved back, trying to defend himself, but Logan easily pushed him again and pinned him with his much heavier body. His fist came to Kimble's face.

Snickt!

Kimble jerked with a gasp as three shiny claws jumped from the back of Logan's fist and cut into the wall next to his left eye.

"Don't fuckin' move," the older man growled with real authority. "Don't even breathe."

Kimble did as he was told, but trembled with indignant rage at his mistreatment. Unlocked memory files threatened to open again, prompted by the suddenness of his anger. Images flashed before his eyes but he couldn't really make them out. He shoved them away, not wanting a repeat of what happened in the lav. They closed down, but he was left with an acid burning in his gut. The depth of his own anger frightened him a little, it had been a long time since he'd felt pain on this level or the anger that followed.

Kimble looked into Logan's eyes and saw only malice and unquestionable superiority. The man's arrogance galled him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Wolverine's earlier assessment of him had been quite correct, he had only a handful of fighting files, all of them useless against a warrior of this caliber. He could feel he had lost energy, too. The force he had used on Valentin had cost him, increasing his anxiety, he didn't know what he was going to do when his power was gone. He then remembered how Fallen had made his hands glow, maybe she could recharge him like the cubes did if he touched her long enough. He had to get out of here and back to Fallen to find out.

Logan kept Kimble pinned but looked back to see how Beast was making out with Valentin. Henry had wrestled the man down and now Maylee and Gambit were tying him back to the bench, using a lot more rope.

He returned to Kimble hologram, boring into him with his eyes, trying to get a bead on just what he had here. Whatever the brothers had done, it made a big difference in the hologram's appearance. This new hologram was perfect and completely convincing in its representation of Kimble's "skin". He appeared to be real and alive.

Wolverine could tell Kimble remained different from Lanlin, though, he didn't share the deadness of her eyes. Kimble's were a pale blue and blazed with the intense fire of his intelligence and obvious fury. His skin seemed almost to glow with energy, the Ristle perhaps, but it exposed him as unnatural, alien. He wasn't human at all, not even close, and yet he was beautiful like an angel might appear. Ghostly and seductive to one not able to resist the draw of something from some other place. It was hard not to look at him. Up close like this, yes he was beautiful, but also dangerous. Lovely and dangerous like a cobra just before it strikes. This was how he appeared to Logan. _Sweet jeezus_, Logan thought, _what did Fallen bring out into the world?_

"Lemmie go!" Kimble hissed, squirming helplessly in Logan's grasp. He squinted a little as if Logan's very presence was hurting him somehow.

Logan ignored him, not yet ready to let this stupid pain in the ass go. He figured Kimble for a troublemaker from the get go and so far the ersatz pilot had done little to change that opinion. Beast was still working on Valentin so Logan continued his scrutiny of his prisoner. He'd been surprised by the squeal that had come from Kimble when he'd turned his head like that. He would have thought a guy as cocky as this could take a little pain. Whatever. It would only make him easier to control.

Beast was finished now. Logan withdrew his claws and released Kimble.

Kimble slithered away from him along the wall, his hands fisted but not raised. Their eyes were still locked in silent battle. Kimble was outraged and didn't want to back down, his usual response to Valentin's bullying was to push back, but out here he had to be so much more careful. Out here he could be hurt for real.

Logan made sure Kimble knew he knew it, too. "Don't make me do that again, boy," he warned, his authority not to be questioned.

Kimble swallowed heavily and tried to regain his composure. He picked up his fallen cigarette and straightened his hair, thinking his long ponytail was now going to be a liability. He thought maybe he could cut it or something, but wasn't sure just how much control he had over his own programming. He was going to have to learn and quickly if he was going to survive in this environment. Fortunately Kimble was a quick study.

The others were uncomfortable from the obvious tension between Kimble and Logan. Beast wasn't so sure that Logan's manhandling of Kimble had been necessary, Kimble had only been defending himself after all, but the doctor kept silent about it for now. He would back his teammate as long as things didn't get out of control.

"Okay. The engines're down," Kimble continued gruffly. He had to finish this stupid meeting so he could try to recharge from Fallen. "We got enough power in the batteries fer five days of life support."

"What batteries?" Valentin repeated. "There's no such thing!"

Kimble grinned a nasty, toothy smile at the man. "Fallen's a lot smarter than you losers ever gave her credit fer. Maybe if ya spent a lot less time smackin' her around-"

"Watch yer mouth!" Wolverine warned. "That's enough of that crap!"

Kimble backed away, growling, he couldn't help himself. "Fallen's real smart," he continued, trying to sound casual, instructional, but he was still angry and it came out in his voice. "She built the Lucky Dragon and alla the machines in it. She's got technology here the Clan's got no clue about. She figgered if you bastards found out you'd all chain her up ta some kinda mass production line." He paused, smoking. "Yeah, the ship's got batteries. They hold enough Ristle energy ta keep us alive fer five days or so. Hopefully that'll be long enough fer Fallen ta recovers a little bit. We needs her ta power up the batteries ta keep us alive. If she keeps boostin' 'em we kin hang here fer quite a while."

"What about food and water?" Logan asked.

"We always carry enough food fer six months. All the water is recycled. It's pretty much unlimited. We resupplied right b'fore we left sos evrathin' should be pretty fresh. Worst case scenario, we crawl to a habitable planet an' do some scroungin'. Fallen and us've done it before, just fer kicks. But it shouldn't come ta that, hopefully."

"Hopefully," Logan repeated. "Anything else?"

"That's pretty much it," Kimble said and crushed out his butt in an ashtray on the table. "Now if you'll 'scuze me, I gots ta check on Fallen -" He started for the door, desperate to escape. He sighed angrily when Wolverine blocked him.

"Hold up there, bub. How do we know all this is on the level?"

Kimble squared up to him, daring to raise his chin. "Guess yer just gonna hafta trust me."

"I don't trust that easy. 'Specially not some stupid sex toy that thinks it's real when it ain't," Logan sneered arrogantly.

Valentin snickered at Logan's words, his eyes bright with malevolent glee.

Logan continued, ignoring it. "I'm not so sure yer up to the responsibility. You'd better step back and let the real folks handle this. Maybe you should just show me these batteries you supposedly got and the supplies."

Kimble was furious and trembling, offended beyond belief. Valentin's laughter and Logan's criticism had cut him deeply. Sex toy? Oh, this was too much! Kimble was so much more than that and he knew it. "I ain't no fuckin' sex toy, ya hairy little asshole! I'm Second in command on this fuckin' ship! I'm real enough, old man, and this is Fallen's ship, not yers! She powers it! I control it! Just what exactly do ya think you kin do without us? Huh? You ain't in no position ta take over nuthin'!"

Logan advanced, growling, and Kimble retreated a little and put up his hand, asking for patience he didn't deserve. He had to remember that out of the system, he could be retaliated against for his mouth. He had to watch what he said. "Wait. I don' wanna fightcha, man. My job is ta take care of Fallen, so's she kin take care'a yous. You wants ta see the batteries and supplies? Fine. But not 'til I check up on her."

"How about now." Logan wasn't budging.

Kimble was cornered, but tried to maintain his position. "I haves ta see her. I needs ta know she's okay."

"Look at her med-scan," Maylee offered helpfully, she knew Kimble well enough to know he was hiding something.

Kimble hesitated, feeling the red rage rise dangerously. Shit! How was he going to get out of this without a fight. He didn't have the energy to defend himself, he could already feel himself starting to discorporate a little as it was, a sensation he didn't like in the least. He was running out of time.

Wolverine wasn't that stupid. He peered into Kimble's eyes. Sniffed him. "What are you hidin', boy? What's yer problem?"

"Nuthin'. I just wants ta see her, that's all. Let me go!"

Wolverine wasn't about to wait for Kimble to tell him another lie. He impulsively stuck his hand out and pushed it against Kimble's chest, an attempt to pin him in place. He startled as his hand sank partway into Kimble's body as if Kimble was a ghost. Logan's eyes went wide and he jerked his hand back as if it had been burned. It was quite the opposite actually, it was ice cold, like he'd stuck it in a bucket of ice water. "What the fuck is this?"

"Fuck you! Get outta my way!" Kimble insisted with a twisted snarl, his frustration finally overtaking him.

Wolverine blocked him, still trying to control the situation, but Kimble shoved against him, straining from the effort. Logan grabbed his arms and refused to let him pass. Like before, his hands sank partway into Kimble's body, but still held him. The two of them locked against each other and it became another battle of wills.

Kimble wanted nothing more than to just get past this guy. He made the wish in his mind like a child wishing on a star and was startled when his desire was actually granted, just not in the way he expected. His body suddenly lost solidity completely and his pressure against Logan propelled him right through the other man's body. Both of them gasped in shock and surprise.

Logan was blasted with an ice cold shock wave as Kimble's inner core passed right through him. The Adamantuim didn't react well with the cold and Logan fell awkwardly against the wall, shivering. He couldn't be sure, but for a second he thought he caught a sense of Kimble's panic, as if he had read Kimble's mind for just that one instant. It was a panic that competed with a strong sense of responsibility for the poor shattered pilot in the next room. Logan shook his head in confusion, maybe he'd just imagined it. You didn't have to be telepathic to read what was on Kimble's mind, it was plain on his face.

Kimble looked back at him, shocked and horrified by what he'd just done, but the need to recharge was even worse now. Whatever he'd done, it had taken energy to do it, energy he didn't have to spare. Unable to wait any longer, he went for the door again. The others parted quickly, letting Kimble pass.

Kimble bolted to the cage and walked through the security grid like it wasn't there. He was shaking uncontrollably now, it was taking all of his will to remain as solid as possible. He didn't know what would happen if he discorporated completely and didn't want to find out. Seth called out to him as he entered, but Kimble didn't hear him. He fell clumsily to his knees by Fallen's sleeping body and took her hand. His fingers began instantly to glow with the exchange of energy. He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief as the waves of Ristle energy washed over him. Fallen half opened her eyes and breathed his name.

Wolverine was pissed. He didn't like anything he couldn't control and this whole situation certainly applied. He stormed out of the galley and to the cage. Seeing the feral mutant was on the verge of losing it, everyone got out of his way just as they had with Kimble. Unfortunately, the door to the cage was as far as he got, the force field in the doorway still blocked him. He slammed his fists against the cage. "Hey!" he bellowed just as Valentin had earlier. "I'm talkin' ta you!"

Kimble couldn't have answered if he wanted to, he was a million miles away. He gripped Fallen's hands in a trance as her power cascaded over him. She was still weak so her power didn't come into him as a gush, more like gentle ripples of blue shimmering energy. An endless sea of warm gentle caresses. He could feel her presence in his mind. He was riding the stick. He was riding her. It was pure ecstasy. He lost control and moaned as an orgasmic shiver took him.


	7. Chapter 7

(Seven)

Fallen was dreaming. She was falling down slowly in the middle of a big empty room. She was on her back looking up as she drifted down, but could see little else besides a dim light coming from an unseen source above her. It wasn't very bright, it didn't hurt for her to look up into it. Her descent was gentle and easy so she wasn't afraid of it at all.

She wasn't alone in her journey. Kimble was lying on top of her, his big arms wrapped around her securely. He looked like he was asleep and dreaming happily from the expression of absolute peace on his face. She was warm and comfortable with the heat of his larger body against her and still felt no fear, even as she looked below her and saw the ground rushing up to meet them. She braced for impact, but instead they landed lightly onto a big black silky mattress. They rolled slightly as they sank into the deep cushion of the bed and Kimble giggled out loud like a small child who'd been tossed. She looked into his face and watched, surprised, as he groaned and shuddered against her from the rush of her power cascading into him. There was no mistaking his reaction for anything less than orgasmic ecstasy.

He opened his eyes to look at her, drunk from the rush, and started to speak. He was cut off as Lucky's mechanical voice chimed, "Unpassworded client. Connection failure."

Both of them abruptly woke back in the cage on the Lucky Dragon and gasped as they looked around themselves, bewildered.

Back in her bed, Fallen looked into Kimble's eyes with confusion. "What was that?"

Kimble was fiercely aroused from the unexpected rush and heat of her power. He wanted to kiss her mouth and taste her for real. He wanted to plunge into her body and feel her heat consume him. He desired only to hear the thunder of her heartbeat followed only by her screams of joyful ecstacy as he made her cum and cum again. He knew he could do it, oh, yes. He could make her feel things she had never dreamed of, it was his one true purpose after all. He was trembling with a bright white lust for her, but the look of fear and jealousy on Seth's face was enough to cool him down. He knew Fallen did not belong to him so he just gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Nuthin'. Fergits it."

Fallen sensed Kimble's powerful desire for her and how he'd squashed it. Spooked and momentarily frightened, she yanked her hand away and withdrew away from him towards the wall.

Kimble stayed as he was, giving her space, hoping she would calm down. He waited a moment for her to say something. When she didn't he said, "Don' be scared. I ain't never hurt ya an' I never will."

"What just happened?"

"I needed ta recharge. The cubes're gone. I thought if maybe I touched ya, you could still power me up. I wuz right. I gots ta take from ya directly fer now," he explained slowly so she would understand.

"Are you okay, Fallen?" Seth asked, concerned. He'd watched the whole exchange in confusion. He had full access of Lucky's cameras and viewing screens, but still wasn't clear about what he just saw.

"Yes, Seth. I'm fine." She gave her attention back to Kimble. "I saw you in my mind."

"I sawr ya, too," he replied, the teasing smile comfortably back in place.

"How?"

Kimble sat down and shrugged. "Gots no clue. It wuz fun though, huh?"

"I suppose," she said, calming down. She lay back down where she had been before, seeing he meant her no harm, and motioned for him to come closer. He came and slowly raised himself up to her, putting his arms on the bed. She reached out and brushed his face, looking at him closely. He was more beautiful now than she could ever have imagined. He was vibrant, intelligent and very much alive. She noticed a thousand little details that hadn't been there before. She could tell his eyes were a pale blue, but now they were flecked with grey. He had lines around his eyes, not from age as he was still young looking, but from perpetual laughter. She could see the individual hairs of his long black side burns and the pores of his skin. She touched his lips and felt the warm air of his breath from his nose. When he returned her smile, he had her elongated canine teeth.

"You guys unlocked the last of the codes, didn't you? The ones I couldn't figure out."

"Well, what do ya know 'bout that?" Kimble teased. It was his favorite expression of discovery. She had never programmed him to say it, it was just one of the quirks of his pre-existing personality. It came with the drawl and never failed to make her smile.

"I found the access code," Seth said, wanting his share of credit.

"When did you do it?"

"Right before we left. I was going to tell you, but it didn't work out. We were busy." He didn't want to talk about Valentin and their horrible last day with the Clan. "Are you okay with it?"

"Are you?" Fallen asked Kimble.

"Guess I hafta be. Don' knows if I kin go back. Sumpthin' happened in the power surge." He looked a little nervous when he said it.

Fallen tried to reassure him with a brush of her hand. She knew how much he liked to be touched. "Why did you do this?"

"Cuz ya needed me," he said simply. "Now I needs ya ta do sumpthin' fer me."

"What?"

"I needs ya ta makes me yer Second fer while I'm out."

"You always have been, you know that."

"That wuz different, I wuz part of the ship. Now I'm out. I wants ta be yer Second fer real, Fallen. Decisions gots ta be made. I needs ta take care'a ya. Make me yer Second sos the others knows ya trust me."

Fallen turned to their audience, noticing them for the first time. Wolverine still hung on the cage, slouched now with his permanent scowl. He looked really angry and she wondered how he could stay so intense without exploding. Gambit and Henry stood behind him, waiting to hear what she had to say. Maylee greeted her with a silent wave, looking drawn and tired. Fallen sat up slowly on the bed, her body complaining with every movement. She faced them, locked eyes with Logan. "I name Kimble as my Second. His wishes are mine."

"That don't mean shit ta me, darlin'," Logan drawled, his accent so close to Kimble's. "Yer sick. Fer all we know, he's controllin' you."

Kimble looked up at Fallen amused and grinned when he saw her face flush with anger. This was going to be good. He hoped she kicked Logan's ass.

"Kimble is not controlling me," she said with ill concealed fury. "This is my ship and I'm in charge."

"No, yer in bed 'cuz yer crazy an decided to kill yerself and us, too. I don't think yer qualified to decide anything."

Fallen shook her head and Kimble groaned in mock dismay. She swung her tiny legs down to the floor and carefully placed her feet. She rose unsteadily and Kimble's amusement changed to sudden concern. He moved to stop her, but she pinned him with a sharp look. He held his hands up in mock surrender, knowing better than to argue with his willful Mistress.

Fallen put her hands against her stomach in obvious pain and shuffled slowly to where Logan stood. He moved from the fence to the door opening so they could see each other unobstructed. She wasn't much shorter than he was and they stood to face each other, eye to eye. She held her chin up high and showed him her teeth in an irritated smile.

Logan could see the strength in her, that the force of her will was equal to his own. For a brief moment, it called to him and he wondered what it would be like to fuck her like some insane wild animal. That's how it was with any woman that looked at him so fearlessly, it was the same with Jean and it was the same with Fallen. He just knew she could take anything he could dish out, take it and then some, the answer was right there in her eyes. He immediately dismissed the idea as absurd of course, and met her challenge. "What," he said arrogantly.

"I am Captain of this ship, Logan. I power it. It goes nowhere without me. I won't fly for anyone but me. You're not going anywhere without my co-operation. Is that clear?"

He looked into her pale blue eyes. "Yeah," he said with a short laugh.

"Kimble is my Second. No one knows this ship as well as he does. I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust you. Is that clear?"

A ghost of a smile played across his lips. "Yes, ma'am."

"I give him full authority to deal with all matters of this craft. I name Seth as my Third for matters of my care should I be unable to address them. Maylee will be his advisor. Is that clear?"

"And in matters of Security? As in the Clan fer example?"

"You and Kimble can work that out. I could care less what you guys do. Dump them out the damn airlock if it pleases you." She almost laughed then and he knew she was under no one's control and never would be. It just wasn't possible. They were very much alike, the two of them.

"All right. Fer now. Yer boy said somethin' about batteries and supplies. I wanna see 'em. I hafta be sure my people're gonna be okay."

She squinted at him, tilting her head just slightly in confusion. "Why are you so concerned about the supplies? Earth isn't that far from here."

Kimble came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "We gots trouble."

She turned her head to look back at him. "What kind of trouble?"

"Both engines 're down. I don' know how bad. And yer sick, Fallen. Real sick. We ain't goin' nowheres fer a while."

"Sick?"

"Hurt. Hurt bad. Worse than the time ya got shot down in the Red Sky. I checked the files. It's how I found out about the Lightnin'. I sawr ya used it ta keep up then, so I tried it fer this."

Fallen closed her eyes and started to shake as she realized what Kimble was saying.

Logan wanted to reach out to her. He was so close, not even a foot away, but the security screen that Kimble controlled still blocked him.

Kimble was there for her. He slid his hands from her shoulders down to her waist, pressing her against him. The heat of her body warmed him and he had to shove back his desire again. He needed her to listen. "S'okay, baby doll. Doncha worry 'bout nuthin'. I'm gonna help ya. That's whatcha gots me for. We're gonna take care 'a this like we done evrathin' else. Just you an me together."

"I was so stupid..."

"Yeah, but we'll git over it," he teased with a chuckle. "I gots some things ta do ta git started, but I gots ta git ya squared away first. I wantcha ta git some rest. You shouldn't even be standin' up right now."

"We have to get these people home," Fallen continued to protest.

Kimble turned her to face him, putting his hands on her shoulders. He locked her with his eyes. "We ain't goin' nowhere fer a while, I toldja that already. The engines're fried and yer in no condition ta fix 'em. Accept it."

Fallen cursed and put her head down against him.

He gently put a hand on her head. "Ferget it. We'll worry about that later." He looked at Wolverine who was still waiting. "The X-men wants ta see the ship. They needs ta be shure 'bout the batteries and the supplies. I'll shows them round. It won't take long. Have a bath. Relax." He grew stern. "Doncha take nuthin'-Ya cain't use with the Lightnin'. Better yet, let's have Maylee sit with ya, make shure you behave." He paused and the security field shut off at his mental command. Maylee walked into the cage and Kimble looked at her, willing her to obey him. "Git some Rishna. Have her sip it," he ordered with his usual authority.

Maylee nodded, going along with this only because it was what she would have done anyway. She hadn't forgiven him for any of this, it was clear in her eyes. She left for the galley.

"What's Rishna?" Beast wanted to know, his question directed at Kimble.

"It's a high calorie, high protein drink that pilots use on long flights. They don't hafta git offa the stick ta eats. Fallen hates it, but she's gonna drink it fer me like a good girl, ain'tcha?"

"I'll throw it up."

"No, ya won't," he scolded as if to a child. "You'll drink it and keeps it down. Ya gots ta clean up and put on some weight if we're gonna git out of this."

Maylee returned with a cup and a dark colored bottle. Wolverine could smell the Rishna as she walked by, it smelled sickly sweet like Coke syrup and he could see why Fallen wouldn't like it.

Kimble opened his arms to let Fallen go, but she leaned against him, wanting his warmth. "I gotta go, kiddo. I won't be long," he said and moved away.

She swayed unsteadily and Maylee took her arm. She allowed the girl to lead her into the lav. Seth went with them, changing screens.

Kimble watched them go, concern all over his face. Showing the X-men around was clearly the last thing he wanted to do, but Wolverine wasn't going to let him off the hook. Logan cleared his throat and Kimble nodded. "This way."


	8. Chapter 8

(Eight)

Kimble led Wolverine and Henry down to the lower level. Remy volunteered to stay behind to keep first watch on the Clansmen. They went down the stairs and Kimble took them to the door marked Storage. Kimble didn't put his hand on the security panel but clicked off a button instead. He said, "**Kimble, La ShaRain natay LaRoo**."

Lucky answered, "Command override accepted."

"No palm print," Kimble explained with a shrug and the usual laugh.

The door unlocked and they went inside. The room had rows of scaffolding shelving. Some of the shelves held large bins of various sizes while others had an old guitar and some books among other loose items. Kimble unlocked one of the bins on the closest shelf and slid it off. It was heavy but he managed it just fine. Apparently he was very strong in spite of being so light. He opened it and displayed its contents. It was filled with small packages of preserved meals. The packages had the Chinese style Dognan markings on them.

"This's all Dognan stuff, okay? The highest quality. Clan cain't make shit like this. Fallen scrounged it up on her raids, just like alla the rest of the pilots do. Alla the good stuff we got is Dognan. We raided the pens close to the Dognan so much she gots more of it than most, is all. Alla this stuff is preserved. It don't need ta be refrigerated. We kin heats them up in the galley. Most of these bins here have food."

Logan looked around and nodded in satisfaction. There were a lot of bins, plenty to go around by any reckoning. It would have to do.

"The rest have more blankets, some clothes, soaps and stuff like that. Medicines. That Lightnin' I used wuz stashed down here by Fallen. Me an' Seth inventory this stuff alla the time sos we usually have an idea how things stand as far as stored goods go. Alla the fresh stuff like the fruit we scrounged, sos once that's gone, too bad, I guess. Maybe we kin finds more if we gits in a real jam an' hafta lands someplace."

"What about water?"

"Tanks're in the Engine Room."

Kimble replaced the bin and fastened it back to the shelf. They left the Storage room and crossed the hall. Kimble used the same code phrase to by-pass the security panel. The room was quite large, the largest on the ship itself. Three large clear containers the size of refrigerators stood out against the back wall, easily noted because of their size. Two were filled with some kind of thick liquid that appeared to be blue gel. Another large tank nearby was clearly marked "Water" and was also full. Pipes led in and out of it, connected to the ship's systems and what was probably a filtration and recycling system beside the tank itself.

What was the most surprising, were the ship's two engines, planted neatly in the middle of the room itself. They were small, only about the size of compact cars and were unlike anything the two X-men had ever seen. They were complicated and had a lot of running parts, not simple motors that Henry had seen before. Here was the source of that burnt plastic smell.

Yup, they were fried, all right. Small vapors of smoke still wafted up from one of them. It seemed this room was more than prepared for that problem to be dealt with. On the back wall of the room was a long storage rack stacked with tiny boxes and spare parts. Another cabinet made of drawers sat beside it, all labeled neatly. A worktable was fixed beside that as well, the area above it covered with tools all neatly arranged and hanging. Fallen was tidy and organized, there was no doubt they were in good hands.

Kimble jerked his thumb towards the engines. "When Fallen's better, she kin works on those. Maybe in a coupla days. I might be able ta gits some of it done myself b'fore then. Don' know fer sure."

"You can repair the engines?" Logan was surprised.

Kimble tapped his head. "Yeah. I gots the maintenance files. Fallen's got tools. Not a big deal. I've done work likes that in the hologram all the time. I likes the work, it keeps me busy."

"How long will it take?" Henry asked. He was really interested in the motors, his brilliant mind going into overdrive with near orgasmic excitement. He was touching them and poking about, eager to explore. Many times he'd had opportunities to learn from others, times he had cherished. He was always quick to remember and incorporate what he'd learned for the team's use back home, his memory near perfect. He was trembling with delighted fascination now, already thinking of how he might be able to apply this technology back home. Kimble would have all the help he wanted right here, right now. Sign me up, if you please.

Kimble laughed as he spoke next, sensing Henry's unveiled interest. " 'Pends on how many parts I kin fix and what she has t' modify. I'd say a few hours. She's got lotsa spare parts, enough ta rebuild one of them completely at least. It ain't no big deal. Now that we jumped already, we kin gos pretty far on just one engine if we hafta."

Henry looked at him in surprise. "Surely you jest. These engines can't be big enough to fly this large a ship by themselves."

Kimble laughed. "They're Siskan, like me. Full 'a surprises."

"I'll just bet," Henry replied playfully. Back in an environment where his prodigious brain might be used, he was much too excited to be anything but eager and happy. "We heard that Siskan technology was rare and hard to find. How does Fallen have so much of it?"

"When Fallen gits bored, we fly 'round some of the dead worlds that the Dognan leave behind. She looks fer downed vessels, junk yards. She's got lotsa Salvage implants. She knows what ta look fer, the Clan don't. She picks stuff up and fools around with it - kinda like me," he said with a smile. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. It took her a long time to get those things workin' right. Lotsa bottles of whiskey, lotsa swearin'." He laughed, reminiscing. "I sometimes wonder if the value of her projects kin be measured out in bottles. Anaways, once she got 'em right - bang! Those locks went on the doors. She didn't dare let the Clan see what she'd done. So far, no one bothered ta ask why Lucky wuz so powerful. They just assumed it wuz cuz her Ristle is so strong."

He pointed to the two large tanks filled with blue plasma gel. One was dark, the other one glowing. "Those're the batteries. One is out from the jump, but the other's got a pretty good charge on it. 'Nough to run the life support machines fer about five days."

"Speaking of life support, you need Ristle to keep alive, don't you?" Henry asked abruptly, his curiosity overriding his better manners.

"Seems that way, I guess," Kimble answered warily, he obviously didn't like to talk about himself.

"Can you charge from the batteries directly? Maybe it would be better for Fallen."

Sensing only eager curiosity from the big, blue doctor, Kimble pointed to a small lamp on the workbench. "See that light? That's me. I'm that tiny light compared ta that huge battery. Remember the boost?" Henry nodded. "That boost charges **both** of them power cells. Fallen kin boost in her sleep when she's full strength. My tiny light bulb ain't nuthin' more than the energy it takes fer you ta scratch yer ass!" he laughed. "Yeah, I probably could charge off the battery, 'cept I gots no way of gittin' the power from the battery inta me. Looks like I gots ta have direct contact through my skin. Even so, I ain't puttin' my hand in that thing! Don' know if it'll fry me or what! I knows it's safe to touch Fallen." He cocked his head and grinned. "Lot's more fun, too. I'll sticks with her, thanks."

"You said she had damage to her Ristle Process. If she can't charge the batteries right now, or even fix the engines, doesn't your draw hurt her?"

Kimble shook his head. "Doubt it. The 'gram never used all that much." He walked over to another viewing screen. He concentrated and Fallen's med scan came up.

Henry watched him, observing that Kimble had maintained the telepathic link with Lucky that Fallen had spoken of before. It made sense, he supposed, that as a separate entity the hologram might have a modem or some other such connection to the primary computer system. It explained how Kimble and Seth had switched the use of the hologram so quickly, and some of the conversation he'd overheard upstairs while Kimble was tending to Fallen. It didn't mean this was Kimble's only talent, Henry was much too wise to assume that. He wondered what kind of abilities the Kimble hologram now possessed and if he was dangerous. Maybe Wolverine could handle him, maybe not. They had to learn as much about him as they could.

Kimble called up a graph, oblivious to the doctor's internal musings. "See the red? That's where Fallen is now. She's producin' Ristle even in her weakened state. The Lightnin' is keepin' her from fallin' all the way down. You kin sees she's just under the yellow. That ain't too bad. See that little dip in the scroll line? That's when I drew from her. It didn' even drop her ta how low she wuz when I first started the scan. See? Nuthin' ta worry about. When she's midway in the yellow, she kin fix the motors. See the blue? She'll be able to boost, maybe fly us a little. The green? Well, we'll just hafta wait an' see. I'm not convinced she'll ever jump again, or if she should even try. Seems ta me this dimension's plenty big for alla us ta play around in. We'll git ya guys home, worry 'bout the rest later. Fallen's gonna be fine."


	9. Chapter 9

(Nine)

Maylee sat with Fallen in her lav. Fallen was in the bath, sitting still in the warm water and staring off into space. She sipped the Rishna only as it was offered, making a face.

"You okay, Momma?" Maylee asked, concerned.

"Yes, I think so. I'm just really tired," she replied softly.

"I don't think Kimble should have given you the Lightning," Maylee said, unable to get it off of her mind. "I tried to stop him, but he used a security screen to keep me out."

"He was protecting Fallen," Seth said, excusing his brother. Like all the rooms on the Dragon, there was a viewing screen in here, allowing him to interact with Fallen. "It's what he does. It could have gotten bad out there. Look at Logan, he got stabbed." Seth was in his control room, watching over Fallen. Remaining inside the computer system didn't make Seth any less sentient or emotional than his brother, he was worried terribly for Fallen and wished he could be there by her side. It was killing him to be so trapped and useless.

"No, he did it to keep me out," Maylee insisted. "He knew I would try to stop him. Now Momma's got that poison inside her again. What're we gonna do now?"

Fallen raised a heavy hand and brushed the soft brown fur of Maylee's cheek. "It's all right, May. I beat the Lightning before, I can do it again. It serves me right for being so stupid in the first place."

"Why did you do it, Momma?"

"Because I just couldn't take Valentin anymore," Fallen sighed. "I know he's a monster of my own creating, but I just can't take him in my life any more. Not when I've found something so much better." She looked up at Seth, who had started to cry silently. "I'm so sorry. I never dreamed Cerebus would force Valentin on me like that." She covered her face and sobbed, "What am I gonna do now? I can't be his wife! I just can't!"

Maylee pulled Fallen into her arms, unmindful of the water splashing everywhere. "It'll be okay, Momma. Please don't cry."

"Fallen, don't you worry," Seth said, wiping his own cheeks and trying to sound very brave, which he wasn't. "We'll stick to the plan, just like Kimble said."

"Valentin won't go quietly, Seth. I won't be responsible for setting him loose on Earth. Who knows what he'll do there?"

"We'll work it out. Kimble will come up with something, he always does," Seth offered. He had to believe in his brother, it was the only thing that gave him any hope. Kimble had bailed them out of trouble before, surely he could do it again.

"It's Kimble that frightens me," Maylee said quietly. She didn't want Seth to be offended, but she couldn't help the way she felt.

Fallen looked at her, startled by what she had said. "Why?"

"It's the way he's taking charge and using the security screens. It's like he's hiding something. I don't trust him."

"I know Kimble better than anyone, May," Seth said. "You don't have to be afraid. He saved Fallen. He saved all of us. Does that sound like something a bad person would do? Besides, he's better in the hologram than I am. You know I suck at it. I wouldn't have been able to help Fallen like he did."

"Then why doesn't he go back? We don't need him to be out anymore. He acts like he's going to stay out all the time now."

Seth looked down at her, thoughtful and sad. "I'm not sure he can go back. Something happened in the power surge. I heard him screaming. It was awful. I asked him if he was all right. He said he was, but I still want to run a diagnostic on the hologram components when we get the chance. We'll decide what to do next after that. The most important thing is for Fallen to get some rest. The sooner we get out of here, the better off we'll be. I won't be happy until Valentin is gone."


	10. Chapter 10

(Ten)

Valentin sat at the galley table simmering with rage and frustration. He had to do something, he wasn't about to sit here a prisoner on his own ship. He glared at Gambit who was sitting casually on one end of the long galley table, taking the time to have a drink and a smoke. "This is my ship! I demand to be released!"

"Je suis de'sole, Vally. No can do. Seems you got a problem keepin' your hands to y'self."

"You really trust that freak? You saw what he did to your friend. He walked right through him! You don't know how powerful he is! We should take him down while we still have a chance!"

"Trust dat boy more 'n you, mon ami."

Gambit took out a deck of Clan playing cards and shuffled them loosely in his hands. Valentin was playing on his own insecurities, he knew. It wouldn't work. He'd seen a lot of weird shit as an X-man, watching Kimble phase through Logan like that didn't really blow him away. He'd seen a girl named Kitty Pride walk through walls and rise up on steps made of air. Jean could fly and read people's minds. Storm, one of his very best friends, threw lightening bolts from her hands. Rogue, the girl who'd stolen his heart, could absorb someone's personality and powers just by touching them.

"I know who he is," Bruce said to no one in particular, his eyes thoughtful and dreamy. He'd been moved to the opposite side of the table because Joseph and Valentin wouldn't leave him alone. They were mad at him for not putting up a good enough fight before. They didn't seem to care that he was half out of it at the time.

"What?" Remy asked, turning his head back to look at him.

Bruce looked at Valentin. "Zander. I think he's Zander."

"Who's Zander?" Valentin grumbled irritated. He wasn't pleased with Bruce at all right now.

"I'd know that voice anywhere." Bruce shook his head with an odd smile. "Never thought I'd see him again." He looked at Valentin again. "You don't remember? The Siskan hologram that went nuts. Killed all those guys."

Gambit was immediately interested, but tried not to show it. This could be a trick.

Valentin sneered. "Oh, that was so long ago. How could you be sure?"

Bruce looked at him pointedly. "Because I knew Zander. I'm positive it's him. I'd know that voice anywhere."

Valentin snorted in disgust and looked away.

Bruce continued to reminisce. " 'Well, what do ya know 'bout that?' " he said in a near perfect imitation of Kimble's catch phrase. "Never thought I'd ever hear that again. It has to be him. I'll just bet your precious little pilot bribed the Curator of Files to get him and she thought she could fix it."

"You're being stupid, Bruce. Zander didn't look like this."

"You don't get it, Valentin. The user decides what the program looks like. Fallen's a pilot so she made him look like one."

"Tell me 'bout dis Zander," Gambit asked.

"We used these Siskan holograms in our training," Bruce explained. "They made good sparring partners because they couldn't get hurt. We could use them all day and they wouldn't get tired. They used these black cubes that powered them up and healed them if they got damaged. We could load them up with files and they did what we wanted them to. Something happened to Zander. They say he got smart. Thought he was real. Went crazy. He went to work one day and blew up for no reason. He grabbed a sword and started hacking away. Some men were killed.

"I was there when it happened. It was horrible. They tried to run him through with swords, but he just kept coming. Someone finally used a taser gun to shoot him down. They shut off the program and Zander was deliberately 'broken' so the program wouldn't work anymore. All the other Siskans were closed down and they disappeared, too.

"I'm betting Fallen found him and played with the program. There's two of them flying the ship and working together, right? She did that to fix him, I'll bet. It's him, I'm telling you. It's not stable. We gotta take it down while Fallen is still weak and can't protect him. He might not do anything right away, I mean, he was good with us for a while before he cracked up. But no one knows what set him off. I was there with him right before it happened. He seemed okay to me. Then a couple of hours later, he just went nuts. He could do it again at any time."

Remy considered what Bruce said. It was eerily similar to what Fallen had said about Kimble. He suspected Bruce wasn't just kidding around, although Remy didn't think he was telling the whole story. He would have to talk to the others about this. He didn't have to wait long, a moment later they came walking up with Kimble.

"Everything seems to be on the level," Logan said as he approached.

"Bien. Dat's good ta know. C'mere a minute," he said to Wolverine, pulling him aside. He stood close to Logan's ear and whispered, telling him what was said. He didn't think Kimble would be able to hear.

Kimble wasn't the least bit happy about it, he knew they had to be talking about him. He resented it, but said nothing. He distrusted the X-men as much as they distrusted him it seemed. He looked at the Clansmen and at Bruce in particular. There was something familiar about the guy, but he couldn't place him. Bruce wasn't one of Valentin's regular guys and hadn't been aboard the Lucky Dragon before this run. Something nagged at Kimble. Something unpleasant.

Joseph clicked his tongue at Kimble as if he were a dog, getting his attention. "Zander," he said softly, with an odd smile. It wasn't a question. He wanted to see what Kimble would do.

Bruce groaned in dismay and looked away.

Remy stopped talking and waited, his eyes locked on Kimble's face.

Kimble squinted at Joseph. "What didja just say?"

"That's your name, isn't it? Zander."

Kimble felt sick, that acid burning sensation again. The name burned into him with an agonizing familiarity. He saw the bloody sword, could almost feel it in his hands. He realized now that file had been no mistake and the truth of it rocked him. He tried to control his swirling emotions as they fought to run away out of control. He couldn't let these men see how badly he was frightened, they might try to lock him up or worse. If he could just forget about it, it would go away. There was no proof that he had been Zander or anyone else. Let them say whatever they wanted. It had nothing to do with what was going on now. He could never be that way again and so it was meaningless. It was in the past. He could ignore it if he could just control his anger and fear. One thing was certain, he couldn't let Fallen find out about this. He'd had a taste of freedom and wasn't going to allow anything to take it from him.

Kimble swallowed heavily and lied arrogantly, "Name's Kimble. Always has been."

"Fallen named you that."

"Nope. She asked me. I told her Kimble. I'm Kimble. Ya gots me confused with someone else."

"Bruce says he knows you. Don't you remember him?"

Bruce hissed, "Don't set him off!"

Kimble cocked his head at Bruce and laughed to cover his discomfort. He had no clear memory of Bruce at all and he wasn't about to go digging for one. His small dip into the memory files had already caused him enough trouble.

"Nice try, Joe. You git these guys all wound up by yerself? Must be quite an accomplishment fer a pea brain like you," Kimble said with a disgusted snort and looked at the X-men. "They tell ya 'bout that Siskan that went nuts? Huh? Old news, pals. Last I heard they fried that bastard good. Unrecoverable. These guys just wants ta spook ya. Fallen ain't that stupid."

"She doesn't know," Bruce whispered, too afraid to look Kimble in the eyes.

"Please!" Kimble sneered. "Fallen ain't that blind. Yer just tryin' to get outta this bucket of shit yer in. Wonderin' what yer gonna do now that Fallen ain't gonna let ya kick 'er around no more."

"Speakin' of which..." Logan interrupted. "We need someplace ta lock these guys up. Keep 'em quiet 'til we figure out what we're gonna do." He wanted to change the subject so he could get Kimble away from them for a moment. He wanted to talk to his teammates. He didn't believe Kimble at all. The Siskan's eyes were jumpy, like Joseph had caught him in a lie. "Can we use the barracks?"

"Ain't got no security there but I 'spoze we could rig up a security screen or sumpthin' ta keep 'em in. It's got a lav so we wouldn' hafta moves 'em around. I'll see what me an' Seth kin do."

"You do that."

Kimble walked away to the main room. He called up Seth on the main screen and they talked.

Logan used the opportunity to confer with the others. "I think we should keep a close eye on Kimble. Try ta learn as much as we can about him. He's lyin', I can see it." He challenged the others with his eyes to contradict him, but they were quiet. "I hope these guys're wrong, but I wanna be ready if they aren't."


	11. Chapter 11

(Eleven)

Kimble reached up to the top of the barrack's doorway and drilled a small hole. Shavings fell into his eye and he swore softly in his usual creative manner.

"You really should be wearing safety glasses, you know," Beast advised fatherly.

Kimble dropped down from his awkward position. He had been up on a small stool he brought up from the workshop. "Fergot how much this shit hurts. This sucks," he complained good naturedly and rubbed his eye. He blinked and his eye watered, still hurting. Just one more hurt to add to today's list of grievances. Seemed like he couldn't catch a break.

"Let me assist you," Beast offered, grabbing a nearby flashlight. He clicked it on and peered into Kimble's watering eye, hoping to find the source of the problem. The result was fascinating. His doctor's eye caught the fact that the light both reflected against and shined into Kimble's eye like it was transparent. The pupil constricted in the light as if his eye was real. Weird.

Kimble grumbled with impatience and squinted, concentrating. Henry watched in amazement as the particle that was sitting on the surface of Kimble's eye sank into the eye itself and disappeared. Kimble had absorbed it into his body. Kimble blinked again and sighed in relief. "Uhhnn...That's better."

"How did you do that?" Henry asked, curious.

"I dunno. I just wanted it gone. If I think 'bout things, sometimes they happen."

"Like walking through Logan?"

"What?" Fallen was sitting in one of the front seats of the passenger section. She was wrapped in a blanket and watching them. She'd finished her bath and wandered over, using this as an excuse to get a closer look at the new and improved Kimble.

Seth was back on the screen in the main room, he didn't want to let Fallen out of his sight. This near miss with death would make him afraid of losing her for a long time. "What did you do?" he asked his brother.

"I kinda walked through someone," Kimble explained like it wasn't a big deal. He climbed back up to the hole he'd drilled.

"You can control your solidity?" Beast continued to probe. He handed Kimble a part for the security screen.

"Uhmm. Yeah, kinda. I dunno. I only did it that one time. Don' knows if I kin do it again."

"What else can you do?" Fallen asked.

Kimble grunted, working the strip into place. "What is this, Fifty Questions?"

"Inquiring minds want to know," Henry joked.

Kimble looked down at him and smiled that teasing grin, offering, "I kin sings Phantom of the Opera in three diff'rent languages."

"How would you know that if you're Siskan?"

"Well, uhmm. Me an' Seth have this insatiable curiosity, y' know?" he said glancing towards his twin. "When Lucky would go ta port Seth would, you know, interface with the port computers. Be surprisin' what you kin finds out if ya knows what ta look fer. Lotsa ships gone Earthside come our way, y'know? Fallen likes the music so I'd go look through the stuff Seth collects."

"Seth would interface with the port computers? You guys know better than to talk to systems that aren't Dognan," Fallen warned. "That's dangerous. If anyone found out they could've held us for spying."

"Well, they didn't find out," Seth boasted. "I'm better than they are. Sneaky. I know how to get in and out."

"Sometimes, when yer tryin' ta puts a puzzle together, ya gots ta look in lotsa different places fer the pieces," Kimble added as he jumped down, finished.

"Is that how you broke the codes?" Fallen asked to the screen.

Seth looked at her. "Yeah. Piece of this, piece of that. Someone had a running Siskan program. I read it, figured it out."

"Just wish we coulda' got it done faster, is all," Kimble continued for him. "Maybe we coulda made ya happier. Less afraid of Vally if we wuz around fer real. Might've avoided this whole mess."

"How did you become like you are now?" Henry asked Kimble, changing the subject.

"When Seth seen what Fallen wuz gonna do, he knew it wuz gonna be bad fer her. She wuz gonna git hurt. He activated the hologram program sos we could git to her. I jumped in cuz I kin use it best. Funny thing, the power surge changed the hologram somehow. It feels different, not like it's suppozta be. Don' know what I am now, only that I ain't what I wuz before. Couldn't walk through people before, that's fer shure," he said with a laugh. "The surge also fried the restraints so I could move around. I took advantage of opportunity and fixed up Fallen there. Guess it all worked out or Fallen would be gone." He looked at her then turned away with a sad smile. "Don' matter now." He took another part out of its box and fiddled with it nervously.

"When you first used the hologram, why did you chose the Ristle energy as your power source? There are other energy sources out there that last longer," Henry asked, still curious. "We have Shi'ar technology that is much more efficient."

"We played around with other power sources before. We likes the Ristle. I likes the way it makes me feel," Kimble said, an odd look on his face.

"You told me Seth said the other power sources weren't good enough," Fallen said. "That they weren't compatible with your programming."

"Like I said, I likes the way the Ristle makes me feel." He wasn't budging. He waited for Seth to contradict him, but his brother was quiet and looking at him curiously.

"What does it feel like when you charge?" Fallen asked, wanting to understand all this.

Kimble's grin got bigger. "I think ya already knows the answer ta that, baby doll."

"Why, though? It's just power. You should feel stronger after a charge. What you feel is more like...like..."

"Fuckin'," Kimble finished for her with a laugh.

"Excuse me?" Seth interjected. He didn't like the sound of that and he eyed Fallen possessively.

"Don' worry, little brother," Kimble said gently. "It ain't fuckin' fer real. Not even close."

"Well," Henry interrupted, a little embarrassed, but still very curious. "If Kimble used to be a pleasure program, it may be that whatever he feels is defined in those terms. He needs to charge to stay alive. When he does, he is rewarded by feeling good. Like how it feels good to eat for us."

"I don't get an orgasm eating a piece of fruit, Henry," Fallen teased.

"Maybe yer not eatin' the right things," Kimble responded with a laugh. "I gots a few suggestions!"

"Hey!" Seth protested, feeling really nervous now.

"Yes, well we don't need to go there," Henry commented. "What does it feel like for you, Fallen? Does it hurt when he takes power from you?

"It feels nice. It doesn't hurt at all. It's kinda like getting a hug when you really needed it. I could feel Kimble in my mind."

"A telepathic link?" Henry asked intrigued.

"Yeah, something like that. It's like he takes my power, but gives me something back in return."

"A symbiotic relationship? Intriguing." Henry concluded, his scientist's eyes gleaming. "I'd love to get a look at this in my lab when we get back home."

"I ain't no lab rat," Kimble protested playfully with mock insult.

Henry laughed. "Don't worry, all my rats get treats."

"Twinkies?" Fallen asked with a smile.

"Are the legends that specific? My word. Is nothing sacred?" Beast joked. He couldn't help but wonder all the same, just where Fallen's legends had come from and how she knew so much about them. The X-men were generally secretive, choosing their friends and allies carefully.

Fallen looked at Kimble. "He would probably love a Twinkie. All that cream filling."

"What's a Twinkie?" Kimble wanted to know.

Beast was quick to answer. "A golden slice of heaven, my friend. I'll be sure to have one ready for you to sample. I'm going to need a whole box and then some to put back on all the weight I've lost eating Clan food."

"Sucks, don' it?" Kimble joked and stopped, startled by his own words.

"How would you know?" Fallen asked him, cocking her head at him.

"Just look at ya, darlin'. You got no meat." Kimble's response was jerky. He'd been caught in a lie and couldn't hide it.

"Have you been loose? Away from the restraints?"

"Me? Naw, I wouldn't ever do that," he teased, covering up his slip. He hadn't been loose, but a memory of horrible Clan food was there all the same. Something recently gained, these new memory files were getting out of hand.

"Guess it doesn't matter now," Fallen said. She didn't feel like arguing about it.

Henry was curious. If Kimble had gotten out of the restraints, what else had he been into? Clearly he kept secrets. He could see Kimble was sly, but didn't get a vibe of malice or treachery from him. He was just a guy who wanted to get out and explore. Henry trusted his own sense of judgment, even if it differed from Logan's. He personally liked both Kimble and Seth.

Kimble finished fastening the strip. "Well. Looks like we're done here. Just gotta activate it and we're all set."


	12. Chapter 12

(Twelve)

Once the Clan men were squared away, the group headed down to the workshop. Gambit offered to stay behind to do first watch on the Clan again. He didn't have much of a head for science and figured Henry would fill him in on what he missed.

Kimble carried Fallen down the stairs and lay her down on the bed, fussing over her until he was satisfied she was comfortable. He didn't like how light she was, but said nothing. He would make sure she ate and put on the weight she needed to get better. He could be very persuasive if he had to be.

Opposite the bed was a viewing screen. Seth was there in the control room, flipping switches and tapping away on his keyboard. He was preparing to run tests on the Kimble hologram.

"I want to do a regular hologram scan first," he said nodding at his brother.

Kimble picked up a metal bracelet from the work bench and put it on. Like the Med-strip, it flashed and winked out. Data from the scan scrolled up on a window in the corner. Seth looked at the data on a screen in his room, the words reflecting on his eyes as they buzzed by at a lighting speed no human could read by. He shook his head and rubbed his chin nervously.

"What," Kimble barked impatiently.

"Well, you're definitely not just a hologram anymore. I'm not sure what you are, actually. The hologram diagnostics don't even read you at all. They don't 'see' you because you're something else now."

"What does this mean?" Fallen asked.

"He probably won't be able to power off of the cubes even if they are restored, or even the batteries," He looked at Kimble. "Put a regular Med-Strip on."

Kimble removed the bracelet and borrowed the strip Fallen still had on her forehead. He put it on and it flashed and winked out.

Lucky began to recite. "Subject, Kimble. Height, 5' 9". 102 pounds. Species unknown. Gender unknown. Body temperature, unable to determine. Body density and structure unable to determine. Possible system failure. Diagnostic test recommended."

Seth shook his head again. "Guess Lucky doesn't really 'see' you, either. Touch Fallen."

Kimble grinned and lightly brushed Fallen's face with his hand. His fingers glowed blue from the contact and she smiled back at him. "You're getting a kick out of this aren't you?"

"I ain't complainin'."

"This is interesting," Seth said, trying to ignore them. "I can see the Ristle being absorbed by his skin on the infrared. Some kind of chemical reaction. It's heating him up. Interesting... Whatever. We already know he has to touch you to power up. At least he won't shut off or fade off into nothing as long as he keeps recharging."

"That's not a big deal," Fallen said. "This is only until he goes back."

Seth looked at her pointedly. "He's not coming back."

"Yer sayin I'm stuck out here?" Kimble asked. Privately, he was elated. He wanted to stay out, he just hoped it didn't screw things up with the ship.

Logan groaned inwardly. He'd been hoping Kimble would return to the system and he wouldn't have to watch out for him anymore. The idea of babysitting Kimble for a long period of time was not in the least bit appealing. Who knew what kind of mischief or mayhem Kimble was going to get into?

"Yeah. You're out there and I'm in here," Seth said quietly. He looked sadly at Fallen.

"Kin ya copy the hologram files sos you kin come out too?" Kimble asked, already knowing the answer.

"No. You took them with you. Even if I could rewrite them, we don't have the base material to create another hologram," Seth said, meaning the particles that allowed Kimble to be solid.

"Just what files does he have?" Fallen asked Seth while looking at Kimble nervously.

"He's got a lot. All the hologram files including a good amount of unopened memory files that were unlocked by the access codes. Who knows what's on those. We should check them out later."

Logan noticed as Kimble shifted uncomfortably at his brother's words. He said nothing, but his distrust of Kimble went up another notch.

"He's got all of his personality files. The pleasure files," Seth continued, looking at his brother with a grin. "Don't you even think about using those on Fallen, brother."

"That ain't up ta me," Kimble teased, eyeing Fallen suggestively.

"Kimble!" Fallen snapped at him irritably, she was in no mood for his games.

Kimble put his hands up in surrender, but he was laughing.

"Ooooh..." Seth groaned, scratching his chin nervously again. "Uhm...He's got the flight files. That could be a problem."

"No it ain't," Kimble answered. "I'll just link up with Lucky and do it telepathic. Whatever I ain't got you kin send me. Just like we done with the med files. It's still doable."

"You two share files?" Henry asked.

"Yes," Seth answered. "We can read each other's files, but they can't be copied. To a point I could learn what he knows, but I will never have his skill. He manages the power and flies the ship very well. He and Fallen are a good team," he said, proud of them. "His linking up with Lucky wouldn't be any different than if he was still in. We can still work together like we always have. Same thing only different, I guess."

"It looks to me like the two of you are still connected, but now split again because the split is physical. Are you going to be stable?" Henry wanted to know.

"Guess we're gonna find out," Kimble grunted.

"Can you guys switch? You know, trade? Even if it's just for a little while?" Fallen asked Seth, her eyes pleading.

"No, Fallen," Seth answered, sadly. "This split is final." He looked at her and his eyes grew wet. He started to say something but turned away, shaking his head.

Fallen stood on shaky legs and slowly walked to the screen. She put her hands up to Seth and started to cry as she spoke up at him in Siskan.

Kimble went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked up to Seth. "I'm sorry, guys. I really am," he said, meaning it. "I did what I hadta do," he insisted next as if the whole thing was just his idea when it wasn't. "I didn't know what wuz gonna happen. But even if I did, I'd do it again. I'd do it fer Fallen."

"This isn't all your fault," Seth said, excusing him.

"No, it's mine!" Fallen complained, sobbing.

"Baby doll..." Kimble started, but couldn't finish.

Seth looked at him. "Can you give us a minute? I want to speak to Fallen alone."

Kimble nodded and slowly took his hands away. He didn't want to go, but forced his body to move anyway. He went down the hall and the others followed.


	13. Chapter 13

(Thirteen)

Kimble went up the stairs but lingered at the trap door opening as the rest gathered in the galley again. He could hear Fallen crying and Seth trying uselessly to soothe her. Kimble wanted so much to go back, but respected his brother's wishes. He crouched down at the top step of the trap door, hooking his toe claws over the edge. He looked down the steps and waited, hoping that when Fallen came back up he would have something in mind to say to make her feel better. He couldn't bear the thought of her pain.

Gambit was still on guard duty and was now stretched out comfortably across the first row of passenger seats. The arm rests flipped up, allowing him to lay across them like a bed. He was quite tall and his feet stuck out into the walkway, but he didn't mind. He was Gambit and Gambit was comfortable anywhere. He'd watched the small crowd come up and noted Fallen's absence. The others had all shuffled into the galley except for Kimble. Remy kept his watchful eyes on Kimble as he crouched at the door, his face full of woe.

Gambit inspected this Siskan hologram with rapt curiosity. There was a variety of expressions clear on Kimble's face — pain, sorrow, jealousy and pain. Gambit had the reputation of being a heartless conman, but that didn't mean he wasn't sympathetic to the emotions of others. On the contrary, he had always been compassionate to the pain and suffering of the people around him. It was what made it easy for him to read people and know the right thing to say to get what he wanted, to charm them, if you will. It didn't keep him from feeling their pain, he'd had to learn to shut off his emotions to escape the pounding guilt that came on him at times. There were moments when he'd considered the possibility that he might be a low level empath, a mutant who read not thoughts, but the emotions of others. If this was so, he'd never been diagnosed as such and so hadn't declared it to anyone.

He had lost some of that empathy – if that's what it was - when he had been told to leave New Orleans and the Thieves' Guild, in those dark years he'd spent on his own. Those were the worst of times for him, when he'd made the worst of his life's mistakes. He had to shut off much of that sensitivity or he would have given in to temptation more than just that one time and just ripped his wrists to shreds, bleeding his guilt and suffering out of him until he was dead. Long before Antarctica, he'd been close to suicide many times, another symptom of someone with deep caring and understanding of misery and angst. Some of that empathy was coming back to him now that he was back with the X-men full time and he was trying to deal with it the best he could. Professor Xavier had been very instrumental in keeping him sane, counseling him and giving him advice on how to manage his guilt. Gambit was sympathetic and painfully aware that Kimble was suffering now.

What amazed him was that this hologram, this walking, talking computer program should display such powerful emotions at all. If he was so fake, so programmed, why did he appear as though he might cry at any moment? Was it real, or was it because he was out in the open with so many people around him? He certainly had an audience here and all the reasons in the world to manipulate them, Kimble needed them sympathetic enough to his cause so they wouldn't just pound him to a pulp and take over.

But when Gambit saw Kimble put his head down and noted the dismal, soft little sigh that left him, he had serious doubts Kimble was faking this. His instincts told him the pilot wasn't doing this just to get attention. Those instincts had served Remy far too well for him to doubt them now. Maybe it was all the time they had spent dancing, but he had an idea that Kimble was a lot more complicated than the others here gave him credit for, Fallen included.

One of the things Remy had been especially good at back home was talking down a troubled mutant in a crisis situation, especially the younger ones. There had been some teasing that Remy could relate to them simply because he hadn't grown up himself, but it wasn't true. It was more that Gambit saved his judgements for later, getting to know a person first before he condemned them outright. That reservation had played out well back home and he used it now to speak to this poor, troubled hologram.

"What's goin' on dere, buddy?" he asked Kimble quietly.

"I'm stuck out here. Seth's trapped in the system. Fallen ain't doin' so good with it," Kimble replied sadly. He glanced up as Valentin came to the barracks door, but turned his head down so the big man wouldn't see how upset he was.

"I can fix her up nice," Valentin replied arrogantly with a laugh. "Just send her in here."

"She don't love you," Kimble said without looking up.

Wolverine came to the galley door, expecting trouble. Henry stood behind him.

"What does that have to do with anything? She's my wife."

"When yer heart is broke, it means evrathin'. She needs real love, not the kind that comes from yer fists, neither. Real love is sumpthin' you kin feel an' taste. It kin fix evrathin'," Kimble said with conviction, seeming to speak from experience.

Valentin snorted disdainfully. "What would you know of love and broken hearts, creature?"

Kimble turned his head to look at Valentin. His eyes were flinty and cold. "What do ya love, Vally, huh? What do ya love 'sides that great big sword of yers?"

Valentin considered his answer. "Hmm... I love a nice big steak grilled on the fire. I love a bottle of fine Kyrule whiskey just opened. But what do I love most of all? Heh, Fallen's nice hot mouth going down on me, slow and easy..."

Kimble clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but didn't move, not just yet.

Remy eased one foot down to the floor and slid his deck of cards out, pretending to shuffle them from boredom. He could sense the rising tension in the room and saw Kimble's jaw working. He didn't like the smouldering rage brewing behind Kimble's eyes and remembered how quick Kimble was to fight with Valentin before. He knew Kimble was hopelessly outclassed even if the holographic pilot did not.

"But what I'm gonna love best, son..." Valentin continued, "...is the sound of your neck snapping when I crush you down with my bare hands."

Kimble laughed suddenly and rubbed his hands together. "Yeah, that'd be fine, I guess - if I had any bones, that is. Gonna hafta do better'n that ta take me down, you cocksucking son of a whore," he finished, the dangerous, deep growly edge coming back into his voice.

Valentin's mouth split wide in an evil sneer. "My, my. What a mouth you got on you, boy. Still, I doubt taking you down will be a problem for me. I suspect you'll bleed quick enough. I've always been a sword man, myself. You ever feel the edge of a blade, son?"

Kimble froze. He hadn't been prepared for Valentin's question or the flash of a memory that came unbidden. Swords and death. Death and swords. Blood, ice cold and frosting the edge of a broadsword as it pulled out of his guts. He shivered noticeably and Valentin laughed again.

"Guess that answers that question - Zander."

"My name's Kimble, ya ignorant fuck. Best git that straight. As to yer question, I ain't never felt it, but I seen it plenty. I seen you cut Kane down like he was nuthin'. You ain't gonna catch me like that, Vally, no Sir. Yer gonna find out there's a lot more ta me than any a yous kin see," Kimble boasted, trying to sound tougher than he felt. Kimble wasn't sure what exactly he'd seen or felt in the past so, as far as he was concerned, he hadn't been lying...not entirely.

"I'm sure," Valentin agreed. "I'll be seeing it as I split you open wide. It's gonna spill out right over those stupid furry feet of yours. Gonna laugh my ass right off, too, watching you die."

Kimble stood up, his hands fisted once more. He moved towards Valentin with unveiled hostile intent, his mouth twisted in an angry sneer.

Logan cleared his throat. "Ladies."

Kimble ignored him, but stopped his advance when Gambit suddenly stood up in front of him. Remy shuffled his cards, his blood red eyes glittering. "Stop right dere, s'il vous plait. Dis trash ain't wort' it, mon ami."

Kimble growled deep in his throat and took another step.

Gambit charged two cards and held them up defensively. "Ain't gonna hap -" He stopped in midsentence with a curious smile.

Kimble's widened eyes had locked on the red glowing cards and he was struck dumb with wonder, like a deer caught in a truck's headlights. Kimble loved red. It was his most favorite color because it was bright and reminded him of heat which he loved best of all. His inner core was very cold so anything warm felt amazingly wonderful to him. It was the primary reason he loved to be touched and held and why the Ristle felt so good. The cards sizzled a little from the energy Gambit had charged them with and Kimble could smell them burning. He raised a trembling hand towards the cards, he wanted to touch them and feel their heat blasting into him. It never occurred to him that he could be burned. The red glow simply drew him in and he couldn't resist.

Unfortunately, Valentin wasn't quite done yet.

"Hey, you. Little faggot boy. Why don't you show these fine X-men what a big brave man you think you are? One minute with me will show the truth of you. You'll be begging me for mercy, snot dripping from your nose."

Kimble tore his eyes away from Remy's cards. His anger returned and he desperately wanted to rise to Valentin's challenge, but he knew Valentin was right. He couldn't even come close to backing up his own threats. He had no choice but to back down. He was going to lose face badly here.

He was rescued by Fallen coming up the stairs. She had tried to give Seth as much comfort as she could and now had to get back to the business of getting herself back in order. She was exhausted and only wanted to sleep some more. She came up the steps and paused when she saw Gambit with his cards lit and Valentin leaning arrogantly in his doorway. She knew immediately what was happening.

"Kimble, please. I must speak with you," she ordered sternly, wanting only to get him away. "Come with me." She went back towards the cage and Kimble obediently followed, hiding his relief.

Valentin watched them go with a sneer and gave a nasty chuckle, satisfied he'd put Kimble in his place. He withdrew and just like that, the confrontation was over.


	14. Chapter 14

(Fourteen)

Fallen and Kimble went into the lav and Fallen shut the door on Valentin's contemptuous laughter. "What do you think you're doing?" Fallen hissed at Kimble, keeping her voice down so no one outside could hear. "Don't start something you can't finish!"

"He pisses me off so bad, Fallen!" Kimble complained. He sat down on the floor in a huff and put his head down. "Alla this just sucks!"

She crouched down in front of him. "I know and I'm sorry. We just have to deal with it, remember? Picking fights with Valentin isn't going to help."

"Aye, Fallen."

She tipped his head up to see into his eyes and he looked up at her with the adoring eyes of a child seeing its mother. Fallen was his Captain, but even more than that, she was his Mistress. As a Siskan Courtesan, it was his purpose to serve and please whoever was in charge of him. The fact that she regarded him as her Second only reinforced this idea in his mind. He wanted only to protect her and keep her safe. It made him feel valuable and loved. Her love was just as important to him as the power that sustained him and kept him alive. Fallen knew this just as she knew a lot of his macho posturing and bravado was a false front he put up to defend himself. He was usually a lot less serious and more playful than he was now. He was trying to be brave and strong for her and it made her smile, she loved him so.

"I didn't say that as your Captain. I said that as your friend. Just calm down and relax. We'll get out of this just fine, okay?"

Kimble laughed a little. "I thought I wuz suppozta be takin' care a you, not the other way around."

"We'll take care of each other, okay?"

"An Seth? He gonna be okay, too?"

"He will be. It's just going to take some time to get used to how things are, that's all. He'll be good as long as we stick together, the three of us. Don't shut him out. Don't leave him alone too long."

Kimble smiled. "He's my brother. I cain't leaves him alone, not fer long. He ain't gonna have the chance ta miss havin' me so close."

Seth laughed, popping up on the screen behind them. "Oh, sure. All those smelly cigarettes and stupid pictures of naked women. Right. Plus you snore really, really loudly. Yeah, I'll miss that."

"Them pictures, you will. I tooks 'em with me, justa keep ya outta trouble. An' I don't snore!"

"Yes, you do!" Fallen said with a laugh.

"Yes! Very, very loudly!" Seth joked, feeling better. "Besides, who got you those pictures in the first place, brother? What makes you so sure I gave you all of them?" Seth teased, his eyes merry.

"Cuz you got yer eyes on jus' one girl," Kimble answered in all seriousness, looking at Fallen. "I knows yer gonna waits fer her no matter how long it takes." There was a tone of sadness in his voice. "I jus' hope it don' takes too long, is all. I want yous both ta be happy."

"I know you do," Fallen replied, kissing him. "That's why I love you. Now do us all a favor and stay out of trouble."

"Aye, Fallen."

"Good. Now, I want to get some more sleep. I'm exhausted."

She stood up on wobbly legs and smiled as Kimble rose to help her. They left the lav and she lay down on her bed. He tucked her in again, putting the pillow to her belly and making sure she was warm and comfortable. Seth came up on the cage screen and watched over her, his face tight with worry. It was frustrating to him that he couldn't reach out to her anymore. He regretted now all those times he'd bailed out of the hologram so soon. If he ever got the chance to come out again, he would be sure not to waste it. He wouldn't be separated from her ever again.

Fallen snuggled down into the blankets and was quickly fast asleep. The two brothers looked down at her, protective and full of love. "I wish she could be yers forever," Kimble whispered softly.

"Someday, she will be," Seth replied. His eyes filled up with tears and spilled over. His tears betrayed his lack of confidence. Right now he wasn't too sure of anything.

Kimble looked up at him. He felt bad for having made his brother cry. "Wants ta play some chess?"

"Here?"

"No. In the Black Room. I wants ta see ya."

"Can you still go there?"

"I wants ta try."

"I'll see you there." Seth winked out and was gone.

Kimble knelt down next to Fallen and took one of her slender white hands in his. He closed his eyes and grew still, concentrating. He didn't think he needed Fallen to do this, but he was concerned about leaving her alone and unattended. If she moved, he hoped she would wake him. He relaxed, concentrated, and was gone from the outside world.

Kimble's consciousness slid through the invisible connection line between himself and Lucky. It was odd for him to be back in the system again. It felt the same, but different somehow. He wasn't completely here like before, he was just a visitor now. There were barriers all around him where before he had total access, it was as if Lucky knew he wasn't the same, too. He came to the Black Room and saw Seth waiting for him there.

The Black Room was a kind of home base where the two brothers would spend their time in the system. Seth had created it because they needed some place that was just for them, where they could speak privately and play uninterrupted. Fallen didn't know about it, nor did she have access to it - she had been the unpassworded client Lucky had spoken of before. It was a private place and theirs alone. Well, it had been until Fallen had recharged Kimble the first time. Somehow, she'd come here with Kimble for just a moment and then she was gone. The system had sensed her as an intruder and booted her out.

Kimble arrived in the Black Room, comfortable to be here. The room was a great big black empty space with a single large circle of light in the center. He walked into the circle of light and stood next to his brother who was there waiting for him. The endless black silky bed Fallen had experienced was gone, now there was a hard floor. Seth was seated comfortably in front of a chessboard he had placed on the floor. He looked up at Kimble and smiled. "You made it."

Kimble brushed his fingertips across the top of Seth's head and grinned. "Yeah."

Kimble was Seth's brother, but he was more than that. He was his protector, his father. The one who looked after him and kept him safe. They were two parts of one person, two fractions of a single splintered psyche. They needed one another and were bonded closer than any real brothers could be, save perhaps true twins. This separation had been violent and painful to them both.

Kimble sat down across from his brother, taking the black side of the board. As usual, Seth played the white pieces and Kimble the black. It's just how it was.

Kimble grinned and conjured a cigarette out of thin air, snapping his fingers to light it. He took a deep drag and turned his head to exhale, keeping the smoke from his twin.

Seth smiled and shook his head. "Same old Kimble."

Kimble grunted. "That's right. Same ol' Kimble. You ain't never gonna be rid of me, so don'tcha worry yer pretty little head none about it."

Seth, being white, made the first move on the chessboard. He couldn't hide the fact that he felt much better now in Kimble's company. They'd never been apart for this long before. Even when Seth would run and hide, he always felt Kimble's presence because they were both in the system. Kimble would often try to lure him out with soft music or a constant stream of dirty jokes to make him laugh. There was always some kind of Kimble noise going on. These past hours had given Seth only a terrible empty silence. Kimble's return here gave Seth a special kind of reassurance. Kimble would never leave him. Kimble was still looking out after him as always. Kimble still loved him and Seth needed that love more than ever right now. Kimble looked up and saw Seth looking at him with all of that in his eyes plain as day. He grunted and laughed, making his first move on the chessboard.

Moments earlier and outside the system, in the Main Room of the Lucky Dragon, Logan had watched Fallen lure Kimble away with a sense of relief. At least one of these crazy people still had a lick of sense. He saw Valentin back away from the door and disappear inside the barracks. He knew Valentin perceived Kimble as the most immediate obstacle between himself and Fallen. If Valentin regained control of Fallen, she might release him and the other Clansmen from their prison. Logan wasn't about to let that happen. They would have to keep Kimble and Valentin apart if they wanted to maintain any kind of peace.

Logan walked over to Remy who had resumed his earlier position across the seats. "What was that with Kimble and the cards?"

"Beats me. P'etetre, dey just turn 'im on," he replied with a laugh.

Logan grunted, leaning comfortably against the cage. "Looks like it don't take much ta get that boy all wound up."

Gambit snorted. "Dat's like de kettle callin' de pot black, furball. Seen you go off for nuthin' more dan once."

Logan sat down in the row of seats behind Remy and stretched out himself. "At least I start fights I know I can win. That boy won't be happy 'til Vally kicks his ass inta next year. If Vally gets out, Kimble won't last five seconds."

"Vally ain't gonna get out so stop worryin'."

They both looked up as Fallen and Kimble left the lav. Fallen lay down on her bed and Kimble tucked her in. The two brothers whispered softly but only Logan could hear it. He was confused when he saw Seth leave and Kimble kneel down. He thought they were going to play chess but instead Kimble took Fallen's hand and grew very still.

Logan sat up for a closer look. Kimble was completely frozen in place, it didn't even look like he was breathing. It was like someone had come along and flipped an invisible on/off switch. "What's he doin'?" Logan mumbled, more to himself than to his teammate.

"Sleepin', I guess," Remy answered anyway.

Logan got up and slowly walked over to the cage. He was forced to halt in the doorway when the security grid reactivated. Lucky chimed in but Kimble didn't move at all, the sound didn't wake him. Logan snapped his fingers. Again, Kimble didn't respond. This was a bit spooky so Logan looked at Remy and crossed his arms, a sure sign he was irritated. "This guy gives me the creeps," he complained.

"Seems all right to me. Even computers gotta sleep, n'est ce pas?" he laughed.

"I heard him say he was gonna play chess. He ain't doin' nuthin' now."

"Den leave 'im alone. You been houndin' 'im enough as it is. Dat boy gonna get a complex de way you watchin' 'im all the time. Chill out."

"He needs watchin'."

"Gambit gonna do dat, patron. You get some sleep. We all be tired now, been a long, long day."

Logan grunted and returned to the seats. He stretched out again and pulled a blanket over himself. They had decided earlier that this was going to have to do as their new sleeping arrangements now that the Clan had appropriated the barracks. Fortunately the seats were well cushioned and comfortable. He closed his eyes, surprised by how tired he was. It was so easy to lose track of time out here in space. No sun. It didn't take long for him to drop off into a comfortable sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

(Fifteen)

Wolverine startled awake when Remy lightly touched him. He'd been deeply asleep, a rare thing for him. He hadn't realized just how tired he was. Still the lightest touch had roused him quickly. He had no idea how long he'd been out, it was at least a couple of hours minimum.

"Sumptin's wrong wit Fallen," Gambit whispered. Maylee was sleeping in the next row of seats behind Logan and Gambit didn't want to wake her.

Logan got up and went with Remy into the cage. The security grid was no longer activated and Fallen's bed was empty. The light was on in the lav and the door open so they went right inside. Fallen was seated on the commode, a blanket wrapped around her tiny body. She was having a nosebleed and it was a bad one judging from several bloody towels nearby. Kimble was standing next to her, pinching her nose off with another towel. He held the back of her head with his other hand, gently petting her. He was obviously frightened for her and losing his battle to hide it. Fallen looked wasted, ready to pass out. Henry was there, pawing through the med kit, looking for something.

Kimble looked back at Henry. "Please hurry!" he insisted without demanding.

"The little bottle with the grey stuff in it," Seth advised from the viewing screen.

"Got it," Henry said, sitting back with a small bottle in his large blue hand.

"You'll need a swab, too. One of the long ones."

Henry got one from a glass jar. He saw Logan and Remy in the doorway and he shook his head, worried. He went over to Fallen and knelt down in front of her.

"Dip the swab in the grey stuff. Put a good dab on it," Seth instructed. "We have to swab the sinus to stop the bleeding."

Henry did as he was told. He put a good amount of the grey paste on the tip of the swab. Kimble took the towel away from Fallen's face, scowling when he saw a small river of blood leak from her left nostril. He wiped at it, but the blood just kept coming. Kimble closed his eyes and cursed softly to himself. This wasn't going well.

Henry moved in and inserted the swab up Fallen's nose. She coughed, gagging.

"Easy, girl," Kimble soothed, holding her so she wouldn't move.

Henry gently swabbed her sinus and pulled the stick out. Her nose continued to bleed, but it was slowing down. Kimble wiped at her nose again. The blood slowly grew less and less and then stopped altogether. Kimble sighed with real relief, he didn't enjoy the sight of blood any more than Seth did although it didn't make him freak out. Fallen slumped against him, exhausted, and he gently rubbed her head with shaking hands, he was still scared for her and trying really hard not to show it.

"That's her second one in as many hours," Henry explained to Logan and Remy. "I don't know how much more blood she can afford to lose."

"Why is she bleedin' so much?" Logan wanted to know. He could smell all the blood and it sickened him.

"The Lightning thins her blood out," Seth explained.

"Still sure it was a good idea?" Logan asked, glaring at Kimble.

"Cain't bleed if yer dead," Kimble snapped at him sharply with a growl in his voice. He didn't like his decision questioned.

Logan stepped up to him. "You little punk!"

"Logan, please," Henry said, pushing him back. These two were proving to be quite a handful. He looked back at Kimble. "Cooler temperatures will prevail here. Both of you calm down!"

Kimble was grumbling, but turned to check on Fallen. She pleaded for him to behave with her eyes and he looked away, a small pout teasing the corners of his mouth. He went back to work, reaching for a bottle of Rishna and pouring some of it into a cup that was on the vanity. His face was tense, angry. He tried to swallow the resentment he felt from Logan's question and it went down hard.

He put the cup in front of Fallen. "Drink this," he ordered.

Her eyes closed. "Won't stay down..."

"Drink it anaways," he insisted a little more gently.

She sipped it and gagged. "I can't..."

"Ya gots ta take sumpthin' down. I ain't given ya whiskey."

"You don't have any kind of juice or soda?" Henry asked.

Kimble just blinked at him. "What's soda?"

"A carbonated sugar drink."

Kimble shook his head. "Alls we got's whiskey, beer, Rishna an' water. Maybe some tea." He looked at Henry and shrugged. "It's a Clan ship."

"How about a piece of fruit? One of those oranges would do nicely."

"There's some in the galley."

Remy left to get it, he was closest to the door.

Kimble tried to get Fallen to drink more Rishna but she turned away, uncooperative. Logan watched this, concerned. Fallen did not look good at all and he had serious doubts about Kimble being able to handle the situation. It was good that Henry was here but he couldn't help Fallen if he didn't have what he needed.

Remy returned. He gave the piece of fruit to Henry who peeled it and offered it to Fallen. She looked at it like she didn't know what it was so Kimble took it and sectioned it quickly, his fingers moving swiftly as he carefully tore it apart. He spoke softly to her in Siskan and slid a piece into her mouth. She chewed mechanically, staring off into space. Kimble fed her a slice at a time, whispering to her softly and petting her head to reassure. By the time she was finished eating, she didn't even look like she was awake. Kimble had relaxed her and she was still slumped against him. He carefully picked up her tiny body and lay her on the floor, pulling more blankets off the shelf to wrap her in.

When Kimble was satisfied that she was comfortable, he leaned back against the vanity and rubbed his eyes. "I'll stay up with her 'case she bleeds again."

"You look tired," Henry commented.

"I'm good. Jus' worried bout her is all. I did this. I'll stay with her." Kimble looked terrible. Henry wondered how it was possible for a program to look so exhausted but it was plain.

"I'll be here, too," Seth said as if he was capable of actually doing anything.

"I'll stay close as well," Henry offered. "I just need a minute."

Beast left the room, taking the other X-men with him. They grouped in the galley, having an impromptu meeting to decide what to do next. "She doesn't look good," he said to them. "I don't know what I can do for her. The supplies here are limited for this sort of thing. She's stocked up for battle injuries, but not for a head injury I know little about. If she bleeds again, I can put an IV drip on her to keep her from dehydrating. She's got plenty of bags of fluids so that's not a problem. I just wish I had some kind of monitoring device that wasn't tied into the computer. She has no stethoscopes or blood pressure cuffs, not even a thermometer." He sighed and rubbed his tired and aching eyes. "Really, what she needs most is to rest and keep some food down."

"What about Kimble? He looks like shit," Logan commented, concerned.

"I don't know. He seems tired, but we don't know anything about how his body works or anything else. Judging from the cube we saw, he has no internal organs or a real brain, so I guess we have to fly by night on this one. We'll keep an eye on him. I do trust him to look after her. He does care for her and seems capable enough. He's done this before I suspect."

"Won't do no good if he flips out," Logan complained, his distrust plain. He had been just as aware as Gambit had been of Kimble's anger and of his struggle to control it. "We should take turns keepin' watch. Just in case. I just woke up, I'll go first."

"No. You stay with the Clansmen, I'll stay with Kimble," Henry said. He didn't think it was a good idea for Logan to be alone with Kimble. Those two clearly disliked one another.

"All right. You get tired, you come and get me."


	16. Chapter 16

(Sixteen)

Henry sat comfortably on the bathroom floor, reading one of the books that had been in the storage room, his back against the bathtub. The book was a manual on Siskan technology and he was perusing the section that dealt with the engines Fallen had downstairs. He was using Fallen's small translator so he could read it. He slid the small rod across the words and the translator read them off in English into a small earpiece he was wearing. He found the book fascinating, it was chock full of information and he was hoping he would be able to give a hand in the repairs. Anything to get them home. He looked up when heard a small noise. He saw Kimble and smiled.

Kimble sat across from him, still up against the vanity. He was nodding off and trying to fight it. Henry watched as Kimble lost his battle and slowly slumped over onto his side. Immediately, the scientist in Beast clicked into full gear and he began writing notes on an invisible mental notepad. **Item number one) This Siskan hologram requires sleep.** This was an intriguing idea. If this creature was composed of gel and hardware, why would a sleep cycle even be necessary?

Beast looked up to the viewing screen. Seth was laying back in his chair, out cold as well. _Hmm, so we sleep if we are out of the system or not. Or is this just a representation of a shut down cycle, a conservation of power if the program itself wasn't being used?_

Henry looked back at Kimble and had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. He wanted to explore this marvelous creation, to feel him and test his reality. Of course his sense of propriety wouldn't allow such a thing, it was rude, but he would dearly love to get Kimble under one of the Shi'ar examining machines he had in his lab. He knew something of artificial intelligence, but had never seen anything like Kimble and Seth. As chief science officer, he was in charge of the Danger Room back home and the holograms used within it. They were solid and realistic as was Kimble, but they did as they were programmed to, they did not possess the independence and reasoning skills this one did. He couldn't help but wonder if that was as far as the differences went. He doubted they had even begun to scratch the surface of what this marvelous creation was capable of.

Kimble snuffled softly and began to snore. His hands twitched and he giggled softly.

**Item number two) This Siskan hologram...dreams?** Now this was interesting indeed. Henry knew that only sentient things dreamed. A pure computer program as he knew it did not. This only reinforced the idea that was developing inside of him - Kimble was real and very much alive. He might not have started out that way, but he was surely that way now.

Kimble moaned softly, shivering. He curled up a little and a hand strayed down between his legs. He whispered in soft Siskan and shivered again, this time from arousal, no doubt. **Item number three) This Siskan hologram has sexual fantasies? **Henry shook his head, a small smile teasing his large mouth. He thought it was hilarious actually. Was this 'gram so real, it mimicked the sleep cycle of a normal human male?

Henry took a closer look at the book he was reading. He checked the index and found that this text did in fact touch on Siskan holograms, but he wasn't sure to what degree. He took his attention away from the snoozing pilot and skipped ahead, more curious now about the machine in front of him than the engine downstairs.

.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kimble sat on the floor, his back against the cabinets of the vanity. He felt drained, weak. He didn't understand the sensation, he'd been touching Fallen all this time so he had taken in plenty of Ristle. His eyes were so heavy. He tried to fight it, but it was a losing battle. He closed them just for a moment and before he knew it, was fast asleep. He startled awake a few minutes later, a noise had awakened him. He realized it was just himself snoring and he thought it was funny and laughed a little. Guess he did snore kind of loud after all.

"What's so funny?" Fallen asked from the makeshift bed beside him. They were alone in the room. Henry must have left. The door was closed.

"Nuthin'," he answered, smiling. "You should be sleepin'."

"Come over here."

He crawled over to her, laying out flat on the floor. The tiles felt smooth and wonderful against the bare skin of his belly. He was acutely aware of everything around him, especially her. His face was over hers and he looked down at her with eyes full of relief. He was glad she was feeling better.

She kissed him. "Take my pain, Kimble," she whispered, stroking his long, dangling ponytail. "Make love to me and take my pain."

The phrase sent a shocking blast of arousal right through him, stealing his breath. He began instantly to tremble with excitement but tried to choke it back. Now that it had finally come to this, he realized he simply loved Seth too much to betray him this way. If he did this, Seth would be devastated. "Don' think I kin do that no more since I got broke," he offered as an excuse.

"You know you can. Do this for me, please." She kissed him more insistently and rolled, pulling him on top of her. He saw she was naked under the blankets and his trembling grew worse.

"Fallen, wait -!"

She trapped him against her telekinetically and he couldn't escape no matter how hard he struggled. She was amazingly strong in spite of her sickness and he couldn't break free. He groaned aloud as she squeezed a hand down between his legs, feeling the hardness of him that had sprung instantly to life. It was simply more than his three years of pent up sexual frustration could bear. She managed to magically undo his pants and then she was touching his bare skin, flooding his most sensitive area with heat. Any shred of resistance he had was gone and he was kissing her madly and running his hands all through her marvelous white hair. He wanted her badly and he wanted her now, consequences be damned.

She laughed and released her mental restraints, it was clear they were no longer necessary. "You're so easy," she teased.

Kimble had been wanting this a long time. He was designed for sensual pleasure, for making love, yet for years he'd been shelved or forced to work doing something else. Now with the hologram fully restored, his original programming had kicked in full throttle. He was painfully aware of all of the warm bodies around him and he couldn't help but think of how nice it would be to interact with them the way his creator had intended. It was worse with Fallen because she was his Mistress, the one he loved best. She was so close to him and he had to touch her to power up. It was growing harder and harder to be around her without being used. She was so close it was maddening.

He cried out again as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him even closer. He kissed her passionately, inwardly thrilled by the idea that she had actually chosen him above all others, including Seth. In the three years that he'd been aware of her presence, he'd never known her to take a man for her own pleasure. There was Valentin, but Kimble knew he didn't really count. He couldn't make sense of an equation that had Valentin and the word pleasure together, it just wasn't possible.

Fallen reached down and tried to slide his pants off. Having crooked cat legs was a hassle. Kimble tried to help her, but his pants kept getting snagged around his ankles. Like everything else, Kimble thought his squirming was funny and he laughed. They made a game out of it, writhing and twisting playfully around one another in a maddening tease. He was helplessly excited, feeling her naked against him, her skin so warm and soft.

Kimble was so wound up at the thought of her he feared he would go off before he could perform the desired task. He distracted himself by going through his large supply of data files. The Siskans were a peaceful race who took their pleasures very seriously. Their artificially intelligent Courtesans were known far and wide for their ability to please. Kimble had a large number of detailed files on sexual techniques from which to chose from. The fact that Fallen was telekinetic and could levitate only added to his current options.

Fallen laughed and ran her fingers through his hair. The sound of her voice sent shivers through his whole body. Kimble took into consideration her frail condition. He selected one of his favorite files -one he'd dreamed of often, but never dared to hope he'd ever get the chance to use again - and maneuvered himself to get ready. He was about to thank her for this wonderful opportunity when his world exploded in a violent outburst of red hot pain.

Kimble had been hauled to his knees by his hair, interrupted from his pleasure by someone less than gentle. This again! He felt a blast of rage but then froze in terror as an ice cold blade came against his throat. He looked up at his attacker and gave a startled cry. He could see the man was a Clansman by his dress and by the long blonde ponytail that dangled down, but the face of this man was a broken mess, something not even close to real. Instead of a normal face, this man wore a shiny mask, a distorted image of a human face in a shattered mirror, unrecognizable but still familiar to Kimble in some strange way. He should know who this was, but couldn't place him. Even so, he knew it well enough to be terrified of it.

"Hey, kid. Remember me, huh? Heh, jus' lettin' ya know I'm still around...jus' in case ya fergot," the monster growled down to him with a laugh. The voice was eerily similar to his own, it had the same garbled drawl, but it was deeper with a more pronounced growl, like gravel tumbling down a mountainside.

Kimble started to scream in fear of his life, but it was cut off as his worst fear was realized and his neck was cut open. Bright red blood gushed out of him in a geyser, spraying Fallen. She rubbed it over herself, laughing. From above he heard the sound of his own laughter.


	17. Chapter 17

(Seventeen)

Henry looked up from his book again as once more, Kimble laughed in his sleep. He cocked his head and grinned, then frowned as Kimble's face suddenly changed. Kimble twitched violently and gasped loudly, bringing his hands to his neck, choking. His heels hit the vanity cabinets as he jerked convulsively again. His noise woke Seth. Seth sat up in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He saw Henry was watching Kimble intently. "What's he doing?"

Henry startled a little at Seth's voice. "He's dreaming."

Seth made a face. "When Fallen dreams, she wakes up screaming."

"Doesn't look like Kimble is faring any better."

Kimble jerked awake violently, slamming his head against the vanity. A bloody towel left over from Fallen's nosebleed fell from the counter top over his face. All he saw was the blood and he screamed. He whipped the towel away and slid away from it like it would attack him. He looked around him in terror, certain that the monster who had attacked him must still be near. He saw Henry and was disoriented because of the realism of his dream. In his dream, Henry had been gone. Now he was here. Kimble backed away, panting and whining in his confusion.

"Easy, now," Henry soothed. "Everything's fine."

"Evrathin' ain't fine!" Kimble blurted out before he could stop himself. He looked like he would bawl at any moment. "Fuck!"

Wolverine poked his head in the doorway with Gambit standing behind him at the ready. Logan saw Kimble trembling on his hands and knees and grumbled, "What's his problem?"

"He had a bad dream," Henry explained.

Logan started a bit at that, his eyes widening just slightly. Logan was no scientist, but like Henry, he knew only sentient things dreamed. Programs did not last time he checked. Wolverine wasn't the least bit comfortable with this sign that Kimble was more than he wanted him to be.

"Ughh...Fergot what it wuz like..." Kimble said, finally calming down. He sat back on his haunches and wiped his face with his hands, smoothing away those tears that had threatened. He remembered now the time when he was first made and the first time he'd ever dreamed, how frightened he'd been. With that memory came the recollection of the warm Siskan hands that had soothed him and the strong protective arms that had held him afterwards. He felt an aching sense of loss. He would never feel those hands and arms ever again. They were gone forever. This was not a restored memory. It was one he'd hid away for himself and he'd vowed never to forget. He wished now Fallen would wake up and comfort him like that other one had, but he didn't want the others to see him as weak, especially Wolverine who was looking down on him with such unfriendly eyes.

"You've dreamed before?" Henry asked.

"Yeah. B'fore I got broken," Kimble said, rising unsteadily.

He walked on rubbery legs back to the vanity and grabbed Fallen's cup with the Rishna in it. He dumped it out in the sink and filled it with water. He drank greedily, almost choking as the water dribbled down his chin. It seemed like Kimble always drank at a breakneck pace, certain to drown himself.

He kept his eyes down, not looking in the mirror. He didn't want to see himself. He wasn't sure whose face was going to be looking back at him. He saw Fallen's jar of cigarettes and impulsively took one. He snapped his fingers to light it with a Ristle spark, but his hands were shaking so badly, it took a couple of tries to get it lit. He took a long drag and gently scratched his head. His own touch was soothing, reminding him of those warm Siskan hands, and he felt better.

"Been a long time since I been dreamin'," he mused, a look of wonder on his face. It had been a nightmare, nothing more. He snickered and felt a little stupid for being so frightened.

"You remember your life from before?" Henry asked.

"Small bits an' pieces, yeah."

"What was it like?"

Kimble walked back to the wall and sat down, getting comfortable. "Don' remember too much. 'Member havin' fun. Playin', dancin', makin' love. Lotsa pretty girls. Some guys, too. Hmm, they wuz a lotta fun..." he said absently, his eyes distant.

Kimble didn't notice the sharp look Logan sent to Remy at his words. It had never occurred to Logan that Kimble, being a pleasure program, might be receptive to more than one gender. His earlier flirtatious manner had been dismissed as merely fooling around. Now Logan wasn't so sure and he shifted nervously. He wasn't really homophobic, but the idea of two men fucking each other just didn't sit well with him

.

Remy shrugged at Logan's response. He was a sociable creature and had many bi-sexual and gay friends even though he wasn't either of those himself. He could care less what Kimble's sexual preferences were.

Kimble was still smiling wistfully, remembering fondly the first part of his dream. It had been so intensely real. "I miss usin' the pleasure files. Be lyin' if I said I didn'. Fallen don' wants me like that, but maybe I kin finds someone who does where we're goin'. That'd be cool."

"Ah, the eternal search for true love, how it occupies us all," Henry mused.

Kimble snorted with an ironic grin. "Sorry, doc. Seth's got all the true love an' devotion files outta the two of us. What little I had 're long gone. Me? I jus' wants ta have fun. Have some laughs. Show somebody a good time. Heh, a real good time."

"You seem confident of your prowess," Henry couldn't help but tease. The sexual nature of the conversation aside, Beast was quite pleased with the opportunity to know Kimble a little better.

"Hey, what kin I say. Them Siskans made me good. I ain't never had no complaints," Kimble boasted, his eyes merry.

"You say you don't love, but you seem to care for Fallen."

"That's different. She's m' Mistress, m' keeper. I ain't in loves with 'er the way you mean. Not like the kid, there," he said jabbing a thumb up at Seth who laughed at him. "I wouldn't refuse 'er..." Kimble just had to add as a dig to his twin. "...but I ain't in love with her, no. We have fun tagether. I looks after her good cuz someone's gotta do it. She don't makes it easy, the little bitch," he complained affectionately, looking at her where she slept. "Nope, she shure don't."

"Do ya remember how ya got broken?" Logan asked, changing the subject.

"Nope," Kimble answered just a little too quickly.

Logan didn't believe him. No, not at all.

"What about those hologram memory files that are unlocked now?" Seth offered. "Maybe there's something in those."

"I gots the feelin' they wuz locked up fer a reason. Don' think I wants ta go pokin' around in there just yet," Kimble said, just as Logan had expected.

Fallen stirred and woke, hearing all the voices around her. Kimble grinned as she turned her head to smile at him. He felt a surge of love for her, his Mistress, and a stab of guilt for his lack of resistance in his dream. At least it had all been a fantasy. He hoped he wouldn't be put to the test for real, he had never been known for his good impulse control. "Hey, kid."

"Hey."

"Feel any better?"

"A little. I'm hungry."

"Don' hafta asks me twice," Kimble said and rose stiffly. He stretched and walked out past the small crowd in the doorway, going to the galley to get her some food.

Remy followed him in case he needed a hand. As they passed the barracks door, Valentin hissed at Kimble, "Was that you I heard squealing like a little girl? What are you dreaming, Zander?"

Kimble paused, clenching his hands. He started to say something but thought better of it. He continued on into the galley and started taking out different food items from the cupboards. His face was dark and cloudy, all of his earlier fun gone, and he said nothing to Remy even though he'd seen the other man follow him.

"You need 'elp wit anyt'ing?" Remy asked from the doorway. He positioned himself so he blocked Valentin's view of Kimble.

"I'm fine," Kimble growled a little more harshly than he intended.

Gambit watched the Kimble hologram closely, keeping quiet for the moment. It still intrigued him that technically Kimble wasn't even real. It was impossible to tell that just by looking at him. Kimble moved, acted, and sounded like any other real person. If Kimble was now truly real, he wondered just how well Kimble was going to fare in the real world back home. He would need looking after, at least in the beginning. Remy was concerned about this trip and how Kimble seemed to get angry so quickly. Gambit liked Kimble and wanted only to keep him out of trouble. Maybe he could help Kimble out.

"You okay bein' out?" Remy finally spoke.

Kimble looked at him, a little surprised with the question. "Shure. This is how I always been. I ain't 'spozed ta be flyin' ships from inside'a no computer."

"Seem a little tense. P'etetre, you takin' on too much. You gotta learn to relax."

Kimble laughed and said wryly, "Relax? Right. I ain't got what I needs ta do that here."

"Oh? If you could do anyt'ing you wanted to right now, what would you do?" Remy asked, his favorite question when it came to setting a person at ease. He sat down on the bench of the galley table, getting comfortable. He'd seen that Valentin had disappeared back inside his room and felt it was safe enough to sit.

Kimble worked as he considered his answer. He opened a package of rice and vegetables and put them into the warming oven. The device looked a bit differently, but operated similar to a microwave oven, heating up the meal quickly. Kimble opened up a bottle of whiskey and thoughtfully poured a shot for both himself and Remy.

"What would I do? 'Spoze I'd really like ta go dancin' some place. I jus' love dancin', love the music. Clan ain't gots no real music. I'd go dancin', work the crowd a little." He laughed and handed Remy his glass of whiskey. His eyes were glowing just thinking about it. "I'd find me sumpthin' young an pretty. Find us a nice quiet corner...Hmm..." He laughed again. "Best ta stop talkin' like this, gonna git m'self all wound up fer nuthin'." He poured himself another shot and tossed it back.

Remy was all over Kimble's suggestion, using it to work the pilot around to his point of view. If he could get Kimble to stay calm and focus on a goal, maybe he might ease up a bit and keep his temper. It worked for the kids back home and he had to reason to doubt it would work for Kimble as well. "We got lots of places to go dancin' back 'ome. Gambit knows a couple of places he could take you. It'd be good for a laugh. 'Nessa would 'ave lots of fun wit you."

Kimble cocked his head at him, immediately interested. "You'd go out with me?"

"I wouldn't 'go out' wit you, non," Gambit said with a grin, amused by Kimble's misinterpretation. "But I would bring you to a couple of places, oui. Lots of girls. Gambit knows all de best places."

"Who's 'Nessa?"

"Vanessa. She a girl. She crazy. You'd like 'er."

Kimble grinned broadly. "Sounds like fun. What's she like?"

"She a lot a fun. She like to dance, like to play. She remind me a lot of you. We ever get outta dis place, Gambit take you to see 'Nessa. She kinda fast. P'etetre, you de only one who can keep up wit 'er. P'etetre, de two of you like each other so much, you settle down. Dat would be worth seein'."

Kimble found a tray and began to set up Fallen's meal. "Logan gonna let me go out?" he asked quietly. "Sounds like he's gonna lock Vally away. Maybe he's gonna put me in a box, too."

Remy was quick to reply, not wanting to lose the ground he'd gained. "Nobody gonna lock you up 'less you do sumptin' stupid, mon ami. You gotta keep yo' temper down. You do dat, Gambit gonna take care of you, je promets. But Gambit can't 'elp you if you be fightin' all de time, d'accorde?"

Kimble nodded, working it out in his mind. "If I'm good, yer gonna take me out? Take me ta see this 'Nessa lady?"

"Oui. Gambit do dis for you, but you gotta take it easy, homme."

Kimble grinned. "I kin do that. Gonna try real hard. Gots sumpthin' ta looks forward to now." His mood now improved, Kimble finished up quickly and they headed out back to the cage.


	18. Chapter 18

(Eighteen)

Henry had watched Kimble and Remy leave for the galley to get Fallen's meal. He turned back to Fallen, a curious look in his eyes. "How long have you known Kimble?"

"I dunno. About three years, maybe a little more."

"Where did you get him?"

Fallen sat up stiffly and rubbed some sleep out of her eyes. "I found him on a dusty shelf in a Clan store room on Nine. I paid the Curator of Files six bottles of vintage Kyrule whiskey for him, but he's been worth every bottle. Why?"

"He had a nightmare and he seemed a little troubled."

"It's probably just stress. He hasn't been out for this long before. It's strange that he's dreaming. I wonder if he dreamed when he was in the system."

Henry shook his blue furry head. "He said he hadn't dreamed since he'd been broken." He looked up at Seth. "What about you? Do you dream?"

Seth laughed and cocked his head in a very Kimble like movement. "I have no idea what dreaming is."

"Do you see pictures in your head while you're sleeping?"

Seth pondered this. "No, I don't think so. I just rest. I mean, I shut down to conserve energy, but that's only for a couple of hours unless there's nothing to do. Most of the time, Kimble and I just play games."

"What about Kimble?"

"I would know if he was dreaming like that. I'd hear it. No way."

"You guys are that close?"

Seth laughed. "Of course. We're brothers. We shared a lot of the same files. He can't really hide anything from me."

"What did he dream then?" Logan broke in.

Seth grew a little wary. He was uncomfortable with Logan's obvious dislike for his brother. "I don't know. We're not connected anymore."

"You know how he got broken?"

"No."

"Right," Logan grunted, his disbelief plain.

"What's your problem with him, anyway?" Seth asked sharply.

"He's a little kid swingin' his big adult fists around, stirrin' up trouble," Wolverine replied arrogantly.

"You're probably not that far off," Fallen interrupted.

"What?" Logan grunted at her.

Fallen smoothed her hair back and rested her chin on her knees. "Let me explain a little something about Kimble, okay? He's what the Siskans call a Courtesan. He's a pleasure program, sure, but he is also a complex and realistic personality, just like Seth." She looked up at Seth briefly before continuing. Seth knew all this already, but she could see he was curious what she was going to say.

"As long as a Courtesan has access to a continuous power supply, they can live to be quite old, as many as two hundred years or so. Their personalities develop slowly, just like our own children. They train for many years before they are actually put into service. It's all in the book I see Henry is reading. Check it yourself if you don't believe me.

"Anyway, I suspect Kimble was very young and only just beginning his training when he was taken by the Dognan. The Dognan tore him away from everything he knew and then shelved him in storehouse. Who knows how long he was there before the Clan found him. I'm sure all of that must have affected him badly. My treatment at the hands of the Dognan certainly didn't do much for me," she said bitterly. "In many ways he is like a child. He has a child's temper and emotions. But at the same time there's a hardness to him like he's gone through some kind of serious trauma he's never really recovered from."

"Has he ever spoken of his past?"

"He says he can't remember it. Most of the original files were damaged or locked away. I have no reason not to believe him. I'm sure he knows more than he says, he's private in much the same way we are. Still, I don't think he would hold back anything I really needed to know."

"Maybe he's scared that you'll shut him down if ya ever found out the truth of what he really is, darlin'," Logan drawled as he leaned against the back wall. "Bruce seems ta think he might be this Zander guy. Zander supposedly went nuts and killed a buncha guys back at Nine."

Fallen laughed. "Who? Kimble? Please! He's just a big kid who likes to run his mouth. He wouldn't hurt anyone. I've never seen him do one violent thing. We fight, yes, but it's me who's always slamming things around."

"I've seen it in his eyes, Fallen," Logan said ominously, quieting her. "I wouldn't put anything past him."

Seth closed his eyes and turned away. The man was so unreasonable.

Fallen cleared her throat and looked up at him with dark and serious eyes. "I won't deny his temper, Logan, but he wouldn't hurt anyone. You know what Kimble does? He takes care of people. He's always looked out for me and he's done a fine job keeping watch on Seth. It makes him feel wanted and loved. That's all he wants. That's all he needs. He would never do anything to jeopardize that.

"Understand, it's been three years since he's been this free. Now he's stuck out here in all of this big mess that I created. His plate is a little full, all right? Just give him a little time. He'll work himself out. Why can't you cut him a little slack? You'd do it for anyone else."

Wolverine was quiet. He couldn't explain what it was about Kimble that rubbed him the wrong way, but it was there nagging at him all the time. He'd trusted his instincts much too long to ignore what he perceived as a disaster waiting to happen. He was about to reply when Remy and Kimble returned with Fallen's meal on a tray.

Kimble crouched and set the tray down with a careful and practiced grace. He'd forgotten nothing. He brought her a steaming bowl of rice with vegetables and some more fruit. He'd selected more than one type to give her a variety to choose from. She had a cup of water, no Rishna. He knew she wouldn't drink it so he didn't bother. He remembered a fork and a napkin. Henry and Logan both got the idea Kimble had done this before. Kimble grabbed some pillows and propped her up so she would be comfortable and tucked the blanket around her. "Watch the rice, it's kinda hot," he mumbled motherly and sat near her as if waiting for more instructions.

"Thanks," Fallen replied and kissed him.

"Anathin' fer you," he said, then looked a little embarrassed when he noticed the others watching him. He backed off and sat against the vanity again.

"Well, we'll leave you to it," Logan said and walked out.

Henry rose to follow him. "Eat well and get some rest," he advised Fallen with a gentle smile.

"I'll be all right."

Henry nodded and left. Remy said good night to Kimble and Fallen and followed him.

Fallen ate and when she was done, Kimble gave her another shot of the Lightening. He could tell she was needing it.

She snuggled up against him. "My head hurts..."

"I knows. I kin feel it." And he could. It was trickling through with her Ristle. "Won't take long fer the medicine ta work. Kin I do sumpthin' fer ya?"

She closed her eyes and pulled his arms closer around her. "Sing for me."

"All right."

Kimble began to gently sing a Siskan lullaby. The sound of it reminded him of another place and another time and it soothed him even though it was his own voice singing it. Seth recognized the song; Kimble had sung it to him many times and he joined in. His voice was as good as Kimble's even though it was pitched a little higher. Kimble laughed a little as he sang, happy just to have Seth and Fallen so close. Fallen relaxed as the Lightening kicked in and let their voices send her off to sleep.

Outside the lav, the X-men listened to the gentle song and soon dropped off to sleep themselves. The Lucky Dragon drifted quietly in space, a tiny speck lost among the great and mighty stars. Drifting towards a most uncertain future.

To be continued in The Hunter.


End file.
